Serious development challenges – from climate emergencies to the COVID-19 
pandemic have shown us that we need to change the way we live, work, and 
cooperate. It is time for a global reset. 

Increasing inequalities worldwide call for a new type of social contract with a 
renewed emphasis on inclusion.

The latest State of the World's Volunteerism Report (SWVR) 'Building equal and 
inclusive societies' explains that the participation of over a billion 
volunteers worldwide is a way to shape a future that is brighter for all. 

The flagship report of theUnited Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme ( 
https://www.unv.org/ ) will be launched at the General Assembly of the United 
Nations in New York today, live on UNWebTV ( 
https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=3370690-1&h=2510477612&u=https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.un.org%2Fen%2Fwebtv&a=UNWebTV 
). 
 
The Report draws on case study research across all regions of the globe. From 
Nepal to Peru, and Lebanon to Malawi- the way volunteers have an impact on 
their communities comes to light. Through women's right groups and vaccine 
assistance hot-lines, people not only help those in need but are voicing the 
longer-term concerns of communities to their governments. 

Every seventh person in the world is a volunteer. Despite the devastating 
socio-economic impacts of the pandemic, global interest in volunteering in 
communities has endured. People have continued to respond to the crisis in 
significant ways, despite limited mobility and resources. While restrictions 
have prevented many people from volunteering in person, many have switched to 
volunteering online.

Volunteers are often seen as the doers and social service providers. However, 
the SWVR provides fresh insights that links volunteerism to equality and 
inclusiveness.

"In this new normal, it will be incredibly important for volunteers to be 
regarded as essential partners right from the outset," says Gladys Mutukwa, a 
73-year old volunteer from Zambia.

For multi-media assets go here ( 
https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=3370690-1&h=139615398&u=https%3A%2F%2Ftrello.com%2Fb%2FMXkphT2K%2Fstate-of-the-worlds-volunteerism-report-2022&a=here 
)

The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme contributes to peace and 
development through volunteerism worldwide. We work with partners to integrate 
over 10,000 qualified, highly motivated and well supported UN Volunteers into 
development programming and promote the value and global recognition of 
volunteerism. UNV is administered by the United Nations Development Programme 
(UNDP).

Source - United Nations Volunteers

CONTACT: Jennifer Stapper, UNV,  jennifer.stapper@unv.org