UNV volunteers undertake their assignments not as employment but as volunteers. While they are not paid a salary for their services, basic remuneration is provided in the format of a monthly Voluntary Living Allowance (VLA).
All UNV volunteers receive health and medical insurance, and are included in the UN medical and security system and evacuation plans.
Travel to and from the duty station is provided, and a settling-in-grant, voluntary living allowance, and a modest resettlement allowance depending on the length of service are allocated to each UNV volunteer. Annual leave is calculated at 2.5 working days per month.
UNV contracts are always signed on 6 months basis - renewable usually for one to two years, but can be for shorter or longer periods of time. The maximum length of time a UNV Specialist may serve in the same post is 6 years and overall as a UNV volunteer is 8 years.