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Volunteers are recognized as a 'powerful and cross-cutting means of implementation' under the 2030 Agenda. Globally, there are an estimated 1 billion volunteers carrying out a range of roles in their communities and societies for the greater good. Conservative estimates that tend to capture the most visible types of volunteers have shown that volunteering adds significant value to economies and societies, for example, 2.4 percent of global GOP.
The role of volunteerism in the implementation of SDGs is anchored in high level UN documents and in United Nations General Assembly resolutions on volunteering for development: Most recently, a resolution was supported by 126 Member States (A/Res/73/140) in December 2018, encouraging the participation and integration of all people in volunteer activities. The resolution also encourages Governments, in partnership with the United Nations, the private sector, civil society and others to integrate volunteerism into national development strategies and plans. Volunteers have been designated as a stakeholder group within ECOSOC processes through the Volunteer Groups Alliance (VGA).
The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme is the UN agency mandated to promote volunteerism and to support United Nations entities through the mobilization of volunteers. In 2018, 7,201 UN Volunteers served in the UN system, with a ratio of 47 percent women and 81 percent volunteers from the global South. In 2018, UNV partnered with more than 38 United Nations organizations to strengthen whole-of-society approaches for Agenda 2030. UNV also provides advisory services to Member States and others on volunteerism research, policies and practices to strengthen citizen engagement for the SDGs.
