Host a UN Volunteer

• Typically, professionals with specialized knowledge;
• Bring at least two years of experience to their assignments;
• Come from a wide range of cultures and professional backgrounds; and
• Deployed for a period of three months to four years.

International UN Specialist Volunteer – Allowances and entitlements (EN, ES)

International UN Volunteer Conditions of Service (EN, FR, ES)

DOA Template International UN Volunteer (EN)

• Nationals of the host country (or refugees and stateless persons with legal status in the country);
• Recruited locally, and live and work in their own communities; 
• Have at minimum a high school diploma (NB. some assignments require national UN volunteers to have a bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional experience; others require UN Volunteers who can bring a strong community connection, local knowledge and networks); and
• Are normally deployed for a period of 12 months (minimum deployment length is three months; maximum is four years).

National UN Specialist Volunteer - Allowances and entitlements (EN, ES)

National UN Volunteer Conditions of Service (EN)

DOA Template National UN Volunteer (EN)

• People with critical skills, including specialized knowledge in demand, professional expertise and technological acumen, often cultivated over many years;
• Are at minimum 35 years old;
• Must hold a Master’s degree and have 15 years of relevant professional experience in the area of expertise; and
• Receive an Expertise Differential, equivalent to 40 per cent of the Monthly Living Allowance of a UN Volunteer Specialist, to recognize the added value they bring to the United Nations system.

UN Expert Volunteers Policy Note (EN)

DOA Template International UN Expert Volunteer (EN) 

DOA Template National UN Expert Volunteer (EN)

• Ideally suited to areas needing innovation, community outreach, youth engagement, social media or work with marginalized communities;
• Have up to two years of experience;
• May be engaged for national and international assignments of up to two years max; and
• Are between 18-29 years of age.

UN University Volunteers are a special segment of UN Youth Volunteers and serve on assignments of 3-6 months.

UN Youth Volunteers and UN University Volunteers have demonstrated their commitment to global peace and sustainable development through academic, extra-curricular and volunteer activities.

International UN Youth Volunteer - Allowances and entitlements (EN, ES)

National UN Youth Volunteer - Allowances and entitlements (EN, ES)

International UN Youth University Volunteer - Allowances and entitlements (EN, ES)

National UN Youth University Volunteer - Allowances and entitlements (EN, ES)

International UN Volunteer Conditions of Service (EN, FR, ES)

National UN Volunteer Conditions of Service (EN)

DOA Template (Nat & Intl) UN Youth Volunteer (EN) 

DOA Template (Nat & Intl) UN University Volunteer (EN)

• May be contracted for assignments of less than three months.
• May be useful for rapid or time-limited deployment, such as shoring up emergency responses, census activities and for projects that require quick scaling-up or adaptation to changing circumstances.

• Bring local expertise to development and peace solutions, working where they live on projects that impact their own community; 
• Can be mobilized in large numbers from the communities where they will be assigned, bringing direct impact and resilience building to UN initiatives;
• Combined with the expertise of international and national specialist UN Volunteers (including youth) and Online Volunteers, offer great potential to transfer knowledge and build capacity; and 
• Are best coordinated and managed via a UN Community Volunteer Coordinator, who can facilitate recruitment, onboarding, learning, contract management and volunteer wellbeing.

UN Community Volunteer Policy Note (EN) 

Policy Highlights Infographic (EN), Flyer (EN)

Implementation Guideline (EN)

DOA UN Community Volunteer (EN) 

DOA International UN Expert Volunteer (EN)

Is a special initiative exclusively available for UNHCR, tailored to the specific legal, socio-economic, and cultural context of refugee populations;

• Facilitates the employment and engagement of refugees in their host country with the aim to empower them and build on their competencies and skills; and 
• Caters to vulnerable refugee populations who, due to their precarious status, are often shut out from participation in the labor market.

Refugee UN Volunteer Conditions of Service (UNHCR) (EN)

Guidance Note (EN)

Offline UN Volunteer Registration Form (EN))

Refugee UN Volunteer - Allowances and entitlements (EN)

DOA Template Refugee UN Volunteer (EN)

• Contribute their skills and talents from wherever they are, working from a computer, tablet or mobile phone;
• Help UN entities, governments and civil society organizations achieve their goals by completing concrete, time-bound tasks/opportunities in support of peace and development; and
• Come from a broad range of backgrounds and can help with any task that meets the service’s opportunity criteria (typically, tasks relate to writing and editing, art and design, translation, outreach and advocacy or research). 

NB. UNV manages the Online Volunteering service, a platform and provides expert advice to help UN entities translate their needs into conducive online volunteering opportunities. Online Volunteers are not “UN” Volunteers and do not benefit from this status. They, together with all users of the Online Volunteering website, are governed by the Terms of Use (here).