UNV Arab States

What UNV Arab States does

United Nations Volunteers (UNV) is a United Nations programme established in 1971 by the UN General Assembly and administered by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Its core function is to mobilize and deploy skilled volunteers — international, national, and online — to support the operational mandates of UN entities and member-state partners across humanitarian response, development, peacebuilding, governance, climate action, gender equality, and youth engagement. The organization is led by Executive Coordinator Toily Kurbanov (in office since 4 January 2021) with a headquarters staff of approximately 300 in Bonn, Germany, and operates through six regional offices covering the Arab States, Asia-Pacific, East and Southern Africa, Latin America/Caribbean, West and Central Africa, and Europe and Central Asia. Scale metrics place 17,000+ UN Volunteers in the field in 2025 and approximately 21,000 Online Volunteers active worldwide in 2026, anchored by flagship deployments with UNICEF, UNHCR, UNDP, UN Women, UNFPA, IOM, WHO, FAO, OCHA, UNEP, and UNCTAD.

The technology stack centers on a volunteer-management ecosystem anchored by the Online Volunteering service (app.unv.org), the Global Talent Pool registration system, and the UN Partner Toolkit (toolkit.unv.org) for managing volunteer requests and assignments. Supporting infrastructure includes the UNV Knowledge Portal (knowledge.unv.org) for evidence on volunteerism, the State of the World's Volunteerism Report as a flagship publication, the UNV eCampus learning platform, and an internally-built Cost Planning Tool that integrates financial, volunteer, and planning data across donors, countries, and assignments. Distribution flows through direct enterprise engagement with UN entities, government-to-government Full Funding partnerships, and the self-serve Online Volunteering platform.

UNV does not charge fees at any stage; volunteer service is free to UN entities and partner organizations. The revenue model is funding-based rather than commercial: it comprises voluntary contributions from member states via the Full Funding programme (with documented funding partners including Sweden via Sida, Japan via JICA, the Czech Republic, the Republic of Korea, and Germany), UN system core funding channelled through UNDP, and a Special Voluntary Fund. The Arab States regional footprint, headquartered in Amman, Jordan, coordinates deployment across countries including Bahrain, Qatar, UAE, and Iraq.

Name

UNV Arab States

Legal name

United Nations Volunteers

Website

https://unv.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1971

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

UNV Arab States is the regional arm of the United Nations Volunteers programme (founded 1971), deploying skilled international, national, and online volunteers to UN entities and member-state partners across the Arab States for humanitarian, development, and peacebuilding mandates.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

International Development Volunteer Services

NAICS

Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations (8139), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

United Nations System & Specialized Agencies (BPADAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Refugee, IDP & Migration Humanitarian Assistance (BPAGAAAH), Disaster Relief & Humanitarian Aid Volunteering (EDAIAGAF), Education & Teaching Volunteer Programs (EDAIAGAD), Humanitarian Health & Emergency Medical Relief NGOs (HLAJAKAE)

Keywords

• Volunteer deployment services
• International development
• Humanitarian assistance
• Online volunteering
• Knowledge management

Headquarters

HQ city

Amman

HQ country

Jordan

HQ region

Middle East

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Government Funding Partnerships: UNV receives funding from governments through Full Funding programme and Special Voluntary Fund. Governments fund volunteer assignments and programmatic activities. Partners include Sweden (via Sida), Japan (via JICA), Czech Republic, Republic of Korea, and others.
2. UN System Funding: UNV is administered by UNDP and receives core funding through the UN system. UN entities request and host UN Volunteers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

UNV Arab States recruits and deploys skilled volunteers to UN entities, governments, and partner organizations in the Arab States region to support humanitarian response, development programmes, peacebuilding, governance, climate action, and community development. It operates the Global Talent Pool, the Online Volunteering service, and the UNV Knowledge Portal to enable international, national, and remote volunteer contributions at no cost to requesting organizations.

Product overview

UNV (United Nations Volunteers) operates as a unified platform for connecting volunteers with the United Nations system. The core offerings include the Online Volunteering service for remote volunteer contributions, the Global Talent Pool for volunteer registration and placement, and the UN Partner Toolkit for managing volunteer engagements. Supporting infrastructure includes the UNV Knowledge Portal for research and evidence on volunteerism, the State of the World's Volunteerism Report as a flagship publication, and UNV eCampus for volunteer training and development. The Conditions of Service framework unifies volunteer assignments across all UN entities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Online Volunteering Service

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly 1,000 Online Volunteers helped the UN80 campaign reach thousands of people in Gulf Cooperation Countries over 12 weeks
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• UNICEFflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerUNICEF is a key UN entity partner hosting UN Volunteers in roles spanning child protection, social policy, communications, youth engagement, and humanitarian response across multiple country offices.
• UNHCRflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerUNHCR hosts UN Volunteers supporting refugee protection, livelihood, and community development programmes. Volunteers work in displacement contexts globally.
• UNDPflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerUNDP is both the administering organization of UNV and a key host entity. UN Volunteers support governance, development, and peacebuilding programmes worldwide.
• UN WomenflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerUN Women hosts UN Volunteers supporting gender equality, women's empowerment, and Women Peace Security agenda. Assignments include governance, peace, and security roles.
• UNFPAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUNFPA hosts UN Volunteers supporting reproductive health and population programmes, including youth engagement and gender-based violence prevention.
• IOMcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational Organization for Migration collaborates with UNV on migration and displacement response. Volunteers support humanitarian and development activities.
• WHOcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorld Health Organization hosts UN Volunteers supporting health programmes and emergency response.
• UN Resident Coordinator OfficecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUN RCO coordinates UN Volunteers at country level to support development priorities and SDG implementation.
• FAOcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUN Volunteers work with FAO on food security, agriculture, and rural development programmes.
• OCHAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUN Volunteers support OCHA in humanitarian coordination, emergency response, and disaster preparedness.
• UNEPcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUN Volunteers work with UNEP on environmental programmes, climate action, and biodiversity conservation.
• UNCTADcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUN Volunteers support UNCTAD in trade and development programmes, including technology transfer and capacity building.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• UNICEF: A flagship UN agency and core host of UN Volunteers across country offices globally. While not a volunteer-deployment organization itself, it is the largest consumer of UNV's volunteer-supply services.
• GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit): Germany's federal development agency, headquartered alongside UNV in Bonn. Comparable through its integrated expert (volunteer-style) deployment model for development cooperation and its role as a German government funding counterpart.
• International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC): The world's largest humanitarian volunteer network, mobilizing millions of volunteers for disaster response and humanitarian assistance. Comparable to UNV on the humanitarian volunteer deployment side, though vastly larger and operationally focused.
• United Nations Development Programme (UNDP): UNV's parent organization and one of its largest host entities. Comparable as the principal administrator of UNV's operations and a parallel provider of in-country development expertise.
• UNHCR (the UN Refugee Agency): A major UN entity and direct host of UN Volunteers supporting refugee protection, livelihood, and community-development programmes. Operates as both a customer of UNV and a parallel volunteer-engaging organization within the UN system.

Direct peers

• Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA): Japan's bilateral development agency, which both funds UNV placements of Japanese nationals and runs its own extensive Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (JOCV) programme. Operates an analogous skilled-volunteer-for-development model.
• Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO): An international development NGO that recruits professional volunteers to work on poverty reduction programmes in partner countries. Highly comparable to UNV's model of skilled, internationally deployed volunteers supporting development priorities.
• Peace Corps: The US government's flagship international volunteer programme that deploys American citizens abroad to support development and cross-cultural understanding. Directly comparable to UNV's international UN Volunteer deployment model, though bilateral rather than multilateral.

Emerging players

• Peace Direct: An international NGO that supports local peacebuilding organizations and volunteers in conflict-affected countries. Comparable through its peacebuilding volunteer focus and overlap with UNV's peacebuilding mandate.

Regional players

• Mercy Corps: A major international humanitarian and development NGO operating across the Middle East and globally, frequently partnering with UNV on volunteer deployment for crisis response and community development.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/UNVolunteers
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/unv
• Facebookfacebook.com/unvolunteers
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/united-nations-volunteers-arabstates
• Instagraminstagram.com/unvolunteers

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about UNV Arab States