The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme is the UN organization that promotes volunteerism to support peace and development worldwide.
UNV was established in 1971 to collaborate with UN entities
to integrate voluntary service into development assistance activities. For over
40 years, the program has been bringing professional volunteer talent into
UN-led development efforts.
The UNV program has recruited experienced professionals
willing to work in countries other than their own on assignments that are often
more suited to mid- and senior-level professionals. This is because many UN
host entities require quite specific expertise.
At present, UNV has
around 5,000 international volunteer assignments a year in 129 countries.
About
80 per cent of these volunteers come from developing countries. These volunteers use their acquired skills to transfer
knowledge and build capacity in the field. They are selected based on criteria
defined by the requesting host agency, with a vetting process similar to that
of any UN entity. They come from all walks of life and from over 120 diverse
professions.
Selection process:
UNV receives around
70,000 registrations per year for international volunteers, and the
organization keeps a roster of about 25,000 at any one time.
The UNV recruiters identify
the best potential candidates with the most closely aligned skill set requested
for each assignment. In addition to the professional expertise and soft skills
such as motivation, flexibility, communication, team work and commitment,
requests often come with other specific variables, including languages, and
geographical or cultural knowledge.
The program looks for a number of qualities, including
leadership, inspiring management, advocacy, being able to work at a high level
with the heads of other UN agencies, and at the same time run an office and
deal with day-to-day issues that arise from the numerous volunteers in-country.
FAQs:
Why serve the United Nations as a volunteer?
A UN volunteer brings a certain
motivation and commitment. It’s all about putting the “UN” and the “V”
together. There are many different reasons why people want to join UNV, but
what we’re looking for are people who are committed to advancing the work of
the United Nations through volunteerism.
Can joining UNV lead to future employment in the UN system?
It can help, as a UNV
assignment provides valuable insight into the work of the United Nations at
field level, but that is not what the program is about. There are certainly
current staff members of the United Nations who were UN volunteers at one point
in their careers. The program offers an excellent opportunity to get out into
the field and to use the experience as a springboard to move into the
development or humanitarian world with the United Nations or other
organizations.
What financial support does the UNV program Offer to Volunteers?
UNV offers an allowance to cover
basic costs, like most other international volunteer-involving organizations.
The benefits are fair and reasonable, and in some cases can be extended to
cover family members to live in the host country at a fairly modest level. It
is not a salary, but a volunteer living allowance, typically around $2,000 per
month, with full medical and life insurance under the UN security umbrella, and
a comprehensive orientation and induction program — all prerequisites for a
successful assignment.
What if I want to volunteer, but not long-term?
Not everyone can afford to
volunteer long-term, which is why we offer the option of short-term
volunteering opportunities of three months or less.
Are you interested and/or available to volunteer your time and
skills on a short-term
assignment of three (3)months or less?
For more information on serving to be a UN Volunteer, please click on the link below
http://www.unv.org/en/how-to-volunteer/register-to-be-a-un-volunteer.html
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