Photo: UN Volunteer Will Seal, serving as Communications Officer with WHO in the Pacific, travels by speedboat to Funafala, the only inhabited island in the Funafuti Conservation Area, in low-lying Tuvalu. Capturing the stories of people directly impacted by climate change is critical for advocacy on the issue. One of the nations most vulnerable to climate change, Tuvalu faces a range of problems caused by a changing climate – from food insecurity or lack of clean water access to increasing storms and flood risks. For Tuvalu’s islands, boats are the only way to travel, often limited during bad weather, and causing significant resource availability and evacuation challenges.
© WHO, 2019
Extend your volunteer's contract
Start planning for assignment extensions well in advance.
For your volunteer’s contract to be extended, we will need you to provide:
of your volunteer.
from your organization to extend the contract.
from everyone involved.
Funding Arrangements
from the funding agency
There is no right or expectation to extension, renewal or conversion to any other type of appointment or to employment with UNV or any other UN entity.
Based on your business needs, you may extend your UN Volunteer noting that they may serve up to a maximum of 8 years in their lifetime.
1. Keep an eye out for your UN Volunteer's contract end date.
Your UNV focal person will get in touch to remind you when it's close.
2. Contact your HR person for help understanding your organization’s workflow and budget cycle.
The UN Refugee Agency (UNCHR) and UN missions have distinct processes in place.
3. See what’s left to be completed for the assignment. Check our funding guidelines and requirements for financial authorization.
Estimate how long this could take and how much it could cost (proforma) to extend the contract.
4. Review your volunteer’s performance and complete an appraisal, as applicable. Use our templates or follow your own.
Volunteer Performance Assessment (VPA) Guidelines (EN, FR, ES); Volunteer Performance Assessment (VPA) Report (EN, FR, ES)
5. Get your volunteer's agreement to extend their contract in writing.
Consult to gauge their capacity to continue volunteering if an assignment extension was offered, but temper any expectations.
6. Submit your request to extend contract along with confirmation of funds to your UNV focal person.
Use our form to specify the new contract end date.
7. UNV will process extension.
You will be notified when all is complete.
8. Your UN Volunteer will receive a confirmation via a Personnel Action Form (PAF) with new contract details issued in their UVP profile.
Donors usually cover the initial contract for fully funded UN Volunteer assignments – few may cover an extension, depending on availability of funds (ask when in doubt). They expect your organization to extend them under your own funding as a recognition of the volunteer’s commitment and contributions.
You can mobilize UN Youth Volunteers beyond two years under other volunteer categories through direct recruitment policy if they meet all criteria. However, these would be considered a new assignment with applicable cost recovery.