The contribution of volunteering in human mobility contexts
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This research paper released by United Nations Volunteers (UNV) highlights the role of volunteers in human mobility contexts. It provides evidence on how volunteering helps fill gaps in humanitarian assistance and protection, supports gender equality and inclusion, prevents and responds to disaster displacement, and facilitates migrant integration and settlement.
Synthesis
The research paper highlights that volunteers play a crucial role in addressing the challenges associated with migration. They support protective, inclusive responses as well as foster long-term development and resilience. They also help relieve the disruptive effects of human mobility, mitigate migration-related risks and vulnerabilities and work toward durable solutions that prioritize the safety, dignity and well-being of individuals and communities.
It examines how volunteers influence migration policy and governance at various levels as they raise awareness about the challenges surrounding human mobility. Special attention is given to migrant volunteers’ contributions when providing humanitarian assistance. For example, they play an important role in promoting social cohesion and integration between migrants and host communities.
The paper also considers how volunteering intersects with volunteers’ livelihoods, offering recommendations to ensure that volunteering practices do not inadvertently heighten their economic precarity or lead to exploitation.
In addition, the research assesses and contextualizes the integration of volunteering into national and international migration governance and development plans, policies and strategies. It demonstrates how United Nations Member States and United Nations agencies can leverage volunteering by and for migrants to advance more equitable and sustainable responses to human mobility challenges. This is critical to achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, particularly in relation to SDG (Sustainable Development Goal) 10.7 on the facilitation of orderly, safe and responsible migration and SDG 16 relating to the promotion of peaceful and inclusive societies.
Case studies from Lebanon, Mali, Myanmar, and Peru highlight volunteers' roles at different migration stages, addressing vulnerabilities, meeting immediate needs, and supporting integration.
Recommendations include supportive legal and policy environments to enable formal volunteering, preventing economic precarity, and protective frameworks to provide humanitarian assistance safely. Additionally, aligning volunteer frameworks with national policies for effective migrant support and broader humanitarian goals.
