UNV Arab States
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.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1971
- HeadquartersAmman, Jordan
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
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.
UNV Arab States firmographics
Firmographics- 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
UNV Arab States industry classification
Industry- 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
Where UNV Arab States is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Amman
- HQ country
- Jordan
- HQ region
- Middle East
Offices2 records
Markets served
UNV Arab States business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- 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.
- 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
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Others | Free volunteer service for UN entities and partners |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
UNV Arab States product offering
Product offeringCore 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
Companies that use UNV Arab States
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
UNV Arab States technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
UNV Arab States partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.
- UNICEFflagshipUNICEF 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.
- UNHCRflagshipUNHCR hosts UN Volunteers supporting refugee protection, livelihood, and community development programmes. Volunteers work in displacement contexts globally.
- UNDPflagshipUNDP is both the administering organization of UNV and a key host entity. UN Volunteers support governance, development, and peacebuilding programmes worldwide.
- UN WomenflagshipUN Women hosts UN Volunteers supporting gender equality, women's empowerment, and Women Peace Security agenda. Assignments include governance, peace, and security roles.
- UNFPAcoreUNFPA hosts UN Volunteers supporting reproductive health and population programmes, including youth engagement and gender-based violence prevention.
- IOMcoreInternational Organization for Migration collaborates with UNV on migration and displacement response. Volunteers support humanitarian and development activities.
- WHOcoreWorld Health Organization hosts UN Volunteers supporting health programmes and emergency response.
- UN Resident Coordinator OfficecoreUN RCO coordinates UN Volunteers at country level to support development priorities and SDG implementation.
- FAOcoreUN Volunteers work with FAO on food security, agriculture, and rural development programmes.
- OCHAcoreUN Volunteers support OCHA in humanitarian coordination, emergency response, and disaster preparedness.
- UNEPcoreUN Volunteers work with UNEP on environmental programmes, climate action, and biodiversity conservation.
- UNCTADcoreUN Volunteers support UNCTAD in trade and development programmes, including technology transfer and capacity building.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights6 records
UNV Arab States competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad 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
UNV Arab States social profiles
Digital presenceUNV Arab States financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
UNV Arab States leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
UNV Arab States funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
UNV Arab States M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about UNV Arab States
What does UNV Arab States do?
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.
Is UNV Arab States a public or private company?
UNV Arab States is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was UNV Arab States founded?
UNV Arab States was founded in 1971. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is UNV Arab States based?
UNV Arab States is headquartered in Amman, Jordan, in the Middle East region.
How does UNV Arab States make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Government Funding Partnerships are the primary driver. The others are UN System Funding.
Who are UNV Arab States's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are UNICEF, GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit), International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and UNHCR (the UN Refugee Agency). Direct peers are Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) and Peace Corps. Peace Direct is listed as an emerging player. Mercy Corps is listed as a regional player.
Does UNV Arab States have an API?
No public API is recorded for UNV Arab States.
What industry is UNV Arab States in?
UNV Arab States's product category is International Development Volunteer Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPADAAAA, United Nations System & Specialized Agencies, with a secondary code of BPAGAAAH, Refugee, IDP & Migration Humanitarian Assistance. Its NAICS code is 8139 and its SIC code is 8600.