From UN Careers to UN Volunteer Service: A New Chapter for Retirees in the Year of the Volunteer 2026
- Andrew Nye
- 3 days ago
- 6 min read
Updated: 2 days ago
Author: Gail Bindley-Taylor
An Interview with Toily Kurbanov
The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme, now in its fifty-sixth year, may be less widely known than some other UN programmes and agencies, yet it has become an increasingly important part of the Organization’s development, humanitarian and peacebuilding work. Established by the General Assembly on 7 December 1970 at the initiative of then Secretary-General U Thant, UNV officially began operations in January 1971. While originally inspired in part by the U.S. Peace Corps, the programme today operates on a far greater scale—and with a far broader vision.
In a recent interview, Toily Kurbanov, a Russian national who took over as UNV’s Executive Coordinator in 2021, offered a candid account of how the programme has evolved, why retirees are increasingly central to its mission, and what the Year of the Volunteer 2026 means for the broader UN family.
THE PROGRAMME TODAY
Often described as the “best-kept secret of the UN system", UNV has grown substantially over the past decade. The programme now has approximately 15,000 volunteers serving in the field—three times the number deployed ten years ago—alongside a further 20,000 online volunteers contributing their expertise remotely from locations as diverse as New York, Beijing and Conakry. The number of UN partners has also expanded, from 51 when Kurbanov joined the organization in 2021 to approximately 70 in 2025.
The COVID-19 pandemic, Kurbanov noted, accelerated trends that were already emerging. “We were already sleepwalking into the digital era", he said, “but it took the moment of COVID for us to recognize this challenging opportunity more explicitly.” The result has been a lasting shift: volunteers can now contribute meaningfully without leaving home, opening the door to a much wider pool of experienced professionals.
The direction of volunteer flows has also changed. Where once the model relied heavily on volunteers from the Global North serving in the Global South, today the majority of international UN Volunteers come from the Global South. The response to the Ukraine refugee crisis illustrated this vividly: UN Volunteers from Uganda and Jordan—experienced in working with displaced populations—relocated to Poland, Slovakia and Romania to support UNHCR, UNICEF and WHO operations there.
A PROGRAMME FOR RETIREES: TURNING A CAREER INTO A CALLING
Alongside its continued commitment to youth engagement, the programme increasingly recognizes the value of experienced professionals and retirees. Kurbanov was direct about the opportunity: “Back in the 70s and 80s, UNV assignments were seen as a stepping-stone to a UN career. Now your UN career is a stepping-stone towards a UNV assignment. Use it.”
For members of AFICS/NY and other associations of former UN staff, one of the most significant developments has been UNV’s growing emphasis on attracting experienced professionals and retirees. Decades of institutional knowledge, sectoral expertise and familiarity with the UN system can be deployed immediately—a quality of increasing value to agencies seeking volunteers who can contribute from day one.
Currently, 500 volunteers aged 65 and above are serving within the UN system. Short-term assignments of three to six months are available, reducing barriers for older professionals who are unable to commit to longer periods. There are also opportunities to volunteer in one’s home country—particularly through the online volunteering platform—making participation accessible to those with family commitments or health considerations.
The scope of assignments available to retirees is genuinely diverse. Kurbanov describes arrangements in which retired Wall Street bankers have contributed to digital literacy programmes in Africa under a UNDP partnership. Others have returned to UN service to “bookend” their careers: having begun as a UN Volunteer, they now return as a seasoned professional to complete the arc. As Kurbanov explained: “When somebody has started their work in the UN as a UN Volunteer, and now they’re ending as head of office or representative somewhere or the other—they say, we want to bookend our UN career with another UN assignment.”
For many retirees, volunteering also offers a way to remain connected to the ideals that drew them to public service in the first place. While retirement marks the end of a formal UN career, it need not mean the end of contributing to development, humanitarian action, peacebuilding or international cooperation.
THE YEAR OF THE VOLUNTEER 2026: A LASTING LEGACY
The Year of the Volunteer 2026 carries significance well beyond commemorating the achievements of UN Volunteers. Kurbanov expressed the hope that it will leave a structural legacy—strengthening volunteerism at national and community levels around the world. Some 60 UN Member States have already established national committees or action plans. Notably, Kazakhstan has gone so far as to adopt a constitutional amendment recognizing volunteerism as a means of contributing to social cohesion.
“There must be something that will happen this year that will make the structural adjustment and create new realities", Kurbanov said, “and leave a legacy for the generation of volunteers who will come after us.”
Importantly, Kurbanov stressed that the Year of the Volunteer is intended to recognize all forms of volunteer service—not only those working within formal UN structures. Pointing to long-established organizations that have relied on volunteers forever such as the Red Cross and Red Crescent, he urged, “Recognize them all.” The vast majority of people are volunteering without any formal structures in their communities, through their churches, mosques and local organizations, he reminded. “The year is not about us. The year is about you and the volunteers in your countries.”
INCLUSION, PARITY ANDTHE ROAD AHEAD
UNV achieved gender parity among its volunteers in 2020, a milestone Kurbanov highlights with pride. He noted that achieving balance across a system as diverse as the UN requires addressing sharp disparities between sectors and regions. “If you want to uphold gender parity, you can’t have a UN system where 70% of volunteers with UNFPA and UN Women are women, and 80% of volunteers in peacekeeping operations are men. You have to close that gap", he stressed. He was also candid about the ongoing work required: parity must be understood not only at the global level but within individual agencies, regions and duty stations, where disparities can still be pronounced.
UNV AROUND THE WORLD
Disability inclusion remains another of his priorities. In 2019, only six of roughly 5,000 field volunteers were persons with disabilities. That figure has since grown to approximately 350 in the past year—progress Kurbanov acknowledged, while noting it falls well short of the 15% of the global population estimated by WHO to have some form of disability. “We are all people with temporary abilities", according to Kurbanov. “It should be in our own interest to create environments where others can thrive.”
THE INVITATION
When asked how a largely unpaid, system-wide service like UNV remains vibrant in the face of dwindling resources, Kurbanov was unequivocal: volunteerism is the world’s “largest renewable resource.” The answer lies in integration—thinking of volunteerism as part of the solution from the outset, not as an afterthought. “Our logo and the blue flag still command a lot", he said, reflecting on UNV’s enduring ability to attract people who want to make a difference.
With nearly 30 years of experience in public policy and sustainable development, Kurbanov is helping position UNV for both the 2030 Agenda and the UN80 reform process. Progress on sustainable development, he maintained, will depend on the collective will of Member States and sufficient support from the UN system.
For retired UN staff, Kurbanov’s message is both a practical invitation and a personal challenge. Their experience, institutional knowledge and commitment to international cooperation are precisely what the programme needs. And as the Year of the Volunteer 2026 progresses, his plea serves equally as a call to action:
"See them, support them, stand with them—and perhaps more importantly, become one of them."
Gail Bindley-Taylor is the departing head of the AFICS/NY Communications Committee. A former broadcast journalist, she interviewed Mr. Kurbanov. The interview has been edited for length, clarity and context.
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