The UN International Year
The United Nations regularly selects focus areas to raise awareness and highlight how it supports the UN Sustainable Development Goals. For 2026, the UN has designated the International Year of Volunteers for Sustainable Development (IVY 2026), as proclaimed in UN General Assembly resolution A/RES/78/127. The observance highlights the vital role volunteer action plays in advancing sustainable development worldwide.
What Is Volunteerism?
Volunteerism refers to people freely giving their time, skills, and energy to benefit others, communities, or causes without expecting financial reward. It includes both formal volunteering through organizations and informal volunteering, such as helping within local communities.
Volunteers and Sustainable Development
Volunteers contribute across a wide range of areas, including education, healthcare, disaster response, environmental protection, and social inclusion. Their work supports many of the Sustainable Development Goals, such as reducing poverty and inequality, as well as strengthening climate resilience and social cohesion.
Why Do Volunteers Need a UN Year?
The United Nations established IVY 2026 to raise awareness of the scale and impact of volunteer action and to encourage stronger support for volunteers. Although volunteer contributions are widespread, they are often under-recognized, under-resourced, and insufficiently integrated into development planning.
Why Volunteering Matters
- It’s a global issue: Millions of people volunteer worldwide, supporting communities in both everyday life and times of crisis.
- It strengthens communities: Volunteer action builds trust, social cohesion, and local resilience.
- It supports the SDGs: Volunteers contribute directly to goals such as quality education, health, climate action, and reduced inequalities.
- It needs support: Better policies, funding, and systems can help volunteer efforts reach their full potential.
IVY 2026: What to Expect
The International Year of Volunteers for Sustainable Development will feature awareness campaigns, events, and initiatives highlighting how volunteer action contributes to sustainable development. Governments, UN agencies, civil society organizations, and volunteer networks are encouraged to participate at local, national, and global levels.
A key goal of IVY 2026 is to promote enabling environments for volunteering, including supportive policies, inclusive opportunities, and recognition of volunteers’ contributions to development and peace.