UNV is based in Bonn, Germany, with around 150 staff members at headquarters, and 6,500 volunteers deployed in the field. UNV also has an Office in New York, five Regional Offices in Amman, Bangkok, Dakar, Nairobi, and Panama City and around 60 Field Units that represent the organization at the country level.

See a short history of the United Nations Volunteers

UNV seeks to leverage the power of volunteerism and volunteers as a means of implementation and people engagement for the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 

UNV's Strategic Framework 2018-2021 focuses on two main outcomes, and on institutional effectiveness:

1. The efforts of Member States to deliver on the 2030 Agenda are supported through volunteerism as an effective means of implementation and people engagement.
2. The United Nations system is supported to deliver on the 2030 Agenda through the engagement of UN-Volunteers and the integration of volunteerism.