I believe that the UN needs good people to make the UN great. That’s the reason I created the UN Job List, to help good people find their spot in the UN System.
However, working for the UN is not all we can do to help make the UN System effective. There is also the option to donate – for instance UNESCO has a funding shortfall these days – and there is an even more powerful option which is to volunteer.
I personally deeply and passionately believe in the power of volunteering and so I’m very happy that there is UN Volunteers.
Here is what they say about themselves:
Professionally qualified people who are passionate about the work of the United Nations but are not primarily concerned about seeking career-opportunities with expected financial benefits may wish to consider the possibility of becoming a United Nations Volunteer.
The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme directly mobilizes more than 7,700 UN Volunteers every year nationally and internationally, with 80 per cent coming from developing countries, and more than 30 per cent volunteering within their own countries. UN Volunteers help, for example, to organize and run local and national elections and support a large number of peacekeeping and humanitarian projects. The key benefit of being a UN Volunteer is the personal satisfaction the volunteer assignment brings by making a positive impact on peace and development. There are also some limited financial benefits in place, including a monthly volunteer living allowance, annual leave and medical insurance.
Candidates interested in becoming UN Volunteers must be at least 25 years old, have a university degree or higher technical diploma and at least two years of professional work experience. In addition, good working knowledge in at least one of the three UN working languages English, French or Spanish is required.
To read more about becoming a UN Volunteer and to register, please visit the UNV homepage www.unvolunteers.org which also answers frequently asked questions about volunteer opportunities.
Now many of you will not have the time to donate a full year or two of their lives to being a volunteer but there is a solution for that, too:
UNV also operates the Online Volunteering service, which connects volunteers with organizations working for sustainable human development: Volunteers contribute their skills online to help organizations address development challenges. Organizations collaborate with online volunteers over the Internet to strengthen the impact of their development work. Every year, the Online Volunteering service mobilizes 10,000 online volunteers who support grassroots organizations, international NGOs, local governments, educational institutions and United Nations agencies in addressing development challenges over the Internet. They are professionals, students, homemakers, retirees, people with disabilities and expatriates from across the globe (62% are from developing countries).
If you are interested to volunteer online, please access UNV’s Online Volunteering Service at www.onlinevolunteering.org.
So whether it is a few hours or days you can dedicate as an Online Volunteer or a few years as a UN Volunteer or even a whole career in the UN, I believe that good people help each other out and contribute to the goals and ideals of the UN.
