International Volunteer Day for Economic and Social Development

Alessandra Vellucci, Director of the United Nations Information Service in Geneva , reminded everyone that today was International Volunteer Day. The Secretary-General had issued a message emphasizing how volunteering offered a powerful way to forge connections and foster our shared humanity , and paid gratitude to the more than 14,000 people who had served through the United Nations Volunteers program. This week also marked the launch of the International Volunteer Year 2026 . The Secretary-General is urging everyone, everywhere to volunteer for the cause that mattered to them in these times of crisis and uncertainty. Tommaso Della Longa for the International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC) , said International Volunteer Day was a moment to honour the more than 17 million Red Cross and Red Crescent volunteers who made the world a safer place every day . This year the theme was " Local, Everywhere ", highlighting the unique network volunteers coming from the community t...

  .The 2026 SWVR seeks to advance debates around the world on volunteer measurement by tackling the persistent evidence gaps that limit our  understanding of the impacts of volunteering and the experiences of many volunteers . In line with previous SWVR cycles, this edition represents a step change, focusing on volunteer measurement, reflecting how conceptual and methodological priorities have evolved over time.  Investments in humanitarian and development work  are increasingly results-driven in order to achieve sustainable outcomes.  Evidence of the impact of volunteerism  is, therefore, essential to shape responsive policies. 

Risks around the world are escalating and volunteers are on the frontlines of change . From responding to climate emergencies and disasters to tackling deep-seated inequalities, their role in creating social cohesion and accelerating development has never been more essential. And yet, this vital work often remains invisible. Without reliable and comprehensive evidence on the roles, scale and value of volunteering, our understanding of policy remains fragmented and investment decisions remain ill-informed. Consistent and disaggregated data about volunteering is therefore urgently needed – not just to provide evidence of impact, but to enable policymakers to design more effective, inclusive responses and to fully integrate volunteering as a measurable component of national development. This Report builds on more than a decade of research conducted for the State of the World’s Volunteerism Report (SWVR). This research has progressively expanded the global understanding of volunteerism – f...

Building on the case made in chapter 1, this chapter provides a critical overview of the state-of-the-art in volunteer measurement, tracing how approaches have evolved from their origins in statistical and economic terms to the holistic, multi-method frameworks increasingly used today. Examples illustrate how measurement objectives and practices have changed, particularly since the 2000s, alongside a growing understanding of volunteering as a force with economic and social value . From this new holistic perspective, measurement has become key to demonstrating that voluntary action generates public value and deserves recognition from citizens and governments.   As established in chapter 1, how volunteering is measured directly affects how it is valued. This chapter delves into the tools themselves, showing how different approaches can shape narratives and influence decisions. While standardized indicators are essential for comparability – one of the goals addressed by the GIVE fram...

Understanding of the global scale, nature and impact of volunteer work remains limited. Key questions remain, such as how many people volunteer and in what ways. Answering these questions requires robust, comparable and timely data. This is more than an academic exercise – it is a strategic necessity. The COVID-19 pandemic starkly demonstrated that communities rely on informal volunteer networks for survival and support when formal systems are strained or absent. 75 The link to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is more critical than ever. Volunteerism is recognized as a powerful and cross-cutting means of implementing the entire Agenda . New estimates provide a muchneeded baseline to advocate for the greater inclusion of volunteerism in national development strategies and Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs). Its contributions have often been under-reported and undervalued. This chapter builds on previous initiatives to provide new estimates of volunteer engagement at both glo...

 For individuals, volunteering can boost confidence, resilience and skills , but it can also involve stress, exclusion and unequal experiences. Capturing this full spectrum of outcomes requires measurement approaches that are sensitive to cultural contexts and inclusive of diverse individual experiences. This chapter explores quantitative, qualitative and mixed-methods approaches to measuring the multiple effects of volunteering on individuals.   To date, most evidence on personal impacts draws from experiences of individuals in or from the Global North , including local and international volunteers .  Expanding the discussion about how to measure volunteering particularly in settings in the Global South can lead to data that offers a more representative account of volunteering worldwide. This stronger evidence can help inform future advocacy, guide the fair distribution of resources and address inequalities in who volunteers and how they benefit from it.

 It is widely recognized that volunteers play a critical role in development. This chapter focuses on measuring volunteers’ contributions to economic growth, health and education as well as tackling inequality, especially gender inequality, which have been identified as key dimensions of development. Measuring volunteer contributions to other important development outcomes, including around climate and human rights, is covered elsewhere in this report.  The strategic importance of volunteers to sustainable development has been emphasized in global forums, and their roles in enhancing accountability, social cohesion and inclusivity, while supporting the Leave No One Behind agenda, have been highlighted. UNV country-level reports highlight the critical role of formal and informal volunteering in supporting national progress towards the SDGs. These analyses emphasize the urgent need for systematic and multidimensional data gathering to enable governments and organizations in b...

  Volunteering during multiple interlocking crises.  In recent years there has been growing awareness of the effects that multiple global crises such as climate change, conflict and economic instability can have when they are no longer separate but are causally entangled. The United Nations Environment Programme has described the compounded nature of these events as when “two or more crises that may be independent or not, become causally entangled – i.e. the interactive effects among them escalate the severity of impacts of each – and thereby significantly degrade global planetary health and thus humanity’s prospects for well-being in a relatively short period of time. These interacting, cascading series of events or sudden (non-linear) crises, across space and time, occur simultaneously and therefore produce harms greater than the sum of those the crises would produce in isolation, were their host systems not so deeply interconnected.” Although this interaction between crises...

  As has been seen in the preceding chapters of this Report, to truly appreciate the significance of volunteering, it must be viewed holistically and recognized not just by the number of volunteers and hours contributed, but as a complex, multidimensional concept shaped by interconnected personal, community, economic and contextual factors. Effective strategies to address these diverse elements are crucial for promoting and managing volunteering to maximize its benefits and positive human impact. This Report estimates that 34.5 per cent of working-age people around the world (some 2.1 billion individuals) currently engage in volunteer work every month (see chapter 3). These volunteers contribute to addressing major global challenges, such as poverty, hunger and inequality, particularly in the Global South. 287 Just as volunteering contributed to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), 288 it is now widely seen as a crucial component for reaching the SDGs. 289 Such global recogniti...

  Volunteer measurement c ontinues to evolve, reflecting changing priorities, methodologies and contexts. By engaging with the latest global debates on volunteer measurement, the 2026 SWVR has shown how measurement can capture the multiple personal, social, economic and systemic contributions volunteering makes within and across sectors. Measurement demonstrates the scale and diversity of volunteer action , enhancing its visibility an d supporting the creation or strengthening of environments that allow volunteering to thrive . The Report has also shown how combining rigorous, comparable data with inclusive, context-sensitive methods can strengthen voices which are often absent from measurement discussions, revealing hidden contributions and driving more just and effective policy, programme design and implementation.  This final chapter distils the key messages and policy recommendations from the Report to advance volunteer measurement. It calls for clear and inclusive definit...

The United Nations has proclaimed 2026 as the  International Year of Volunteers for Sustainable Development  (IVY 2026), a global call to action to recognize and boost volunteer contributions to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals .

This initiative marks 25 years since the first International Year of Volunteers in 2001, aiming to reimagine and promote volunteerism's vital role for positive global change, with an official logo and widespread international participation.

  “ Over the next 12 months, I urge everyone, everywhere to volunteer for a cause that matters to you. In times of crisis and uncertainty, you can be the change you wish to see. ”  UN Secretary-General, António Guterres.   The opening event of the International Volunteer Year 2026 will be held at the United Nations General Assembly in New York. To watch, please tune in to UN TV on 5 December, 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM [EST]. Aligned with the 2025 International Volunteer Day theme, " Every contribution matters ", the event will serve as a platform for Member States to pledge concrete actions to operationalize resolution 78/127 – such as integrating volunteerism into national development strategies and establishing national committees to lead their International Volunteer Year campaigns at the country level. Opening Special Remarks Launch of the 2026 State of the World's Volunteerism Report: Every contribution matters Plenary Closing This opening event will bring together Membe...

  The  United Nations Volunteers (UNV) celebrates  International Volunteer Day 2025  under the theme “ Every contribution matters ” announcing the global launch of the International Year of Volunteers for SustainableDevelopment (IVY) 2026 , as proclaimed by the UN General Assembly through resolution 78/127. For more details, visit the  International Volunteer Day , the  International Volunteer Year 2026 , and check out the  2026 State of the World’s Volunteerism Report . Social media materials are available on  UNV’s Trello board .

  The  United Nations Volunteers (UNV) celebrates International Volunteer Day 2025 under the theme “ Every contribution matters ” announcing the release of the 2026 State of the World’s Volunteerism Report (SWVR) , which sets the tone for an initiative to recognize and advance volunteer contributions to sustainable development For more details, visit the  International Volunteer Day , the  International Volunteer Year 2026 , and check out the  2026 State of the World’s Volunteerism Report . Social media materials are available on  UNV’s Trello board .