Welcome
The UN and everyone of us who works for any UN entity, programme, fund, should really be motivated by an ethical imperative. This is what our oath of office says. We should never look upon our work as just a job, it should be a calling, and ideally, in that respect, all of us who are involved in the UN should be seen as volunteers in one way or another.
Flavia Pansieri,
UNV Executive Coordinator
The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme is the UN organization that contributes to peace and development through volunteerism worldwide. Volunteerism is a powerful means of engaging people in tackling development challenges, and it can transform the pace and nature of development.
Volunteerism benefits both society at large and the individual volunteer by strengthening trust, solidarity and reciprocity among citizens, and by purposefully creating opportunities for participation.
UNV contributes to peace and development by advocating for recognition of volunteers, working with partners to integrate volunteerism into development programming, and mobilizing an increasing number and diversity of volunteers, including experienced UNV volunteers, throughout the world. UNV embraces volunteerism as universal and inclusive, and recognizes volunteerism in its diversity, as well as the values that sustain it: free will, commitment, engagement and solidarity.
The first two international UNV volunteers arrived in Nepal in 1974 to take up assignments as nutritionists with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Since then many others have followed.
In fact, hundreds of national and international UNV volunteers have served in Nepal with a whole range of host organizations and projects to support the country's socio-economic development delivering technical expertise in sectors as diverse as climatology, cottage industry promotion, cultural heritage and community mobilization
You can also make a difference: join and expand the UNV program by becoming a UNV volunteer or by enrolling a UNV volunteer.