One of the most inspiring moments for UNV during 2000 came in September when Australian Kate Bandler, a UN Volunteer serving in East Timor, lifted high the Olympic Torch and ran it proudly for 400 metres in the outskirts of Sydney. One of two UN representatives in the relay, Kate joined a chain of runners bringing the torch through 1,000 townsin the 100 days leading into the Olympic Games - a massive undertaking brought to life by tens of thousands of volunteers.

Collectively, UN Volunteers make up their own chain of runners - bringing a message of world peace and development. They carry their torches willingly 365 days a year. And never have there been more: we look back at another record year - 4,780 UN Volunteers carrying out 5,181 assignments. The big story is that they came from 157 countries and worked in 140 developing nations - a true exercise in international solidarity. Thirty per cent of these served in Africa, while 29 per cent took up assignments in Asia; others carried out challenging tasks in Europe, CIS, Latin America, the Caribbean and the Arab States.

This Annual Report captures a sense of the work some of these dedicated individuals perform. You can read about our largest operations in East Timor and Kosovo, where UN Volunteers support local efforts to steer a course towards self-governance and recovery following years of civil strife. We also take a look at how UNV helps bring self-help groups together to combat the stigma of HIV/AIDS and make cities better places to live.

In the final months leading up to the opening of the International Year of Volunteers (IYV) UNV undertook an aggressive information campaign which contributed to the formation of 124 national, state and city IYV committees by the time the Year opened. Even so, we were surprised by the enormous interest and support evoked by the Year in every region and throughout every sector. It was a year waiting to happen - a fire just waiting for an igniting spark.

Within UNV itself, preparations for the Year have prompted reflection on what it means to be the volunteer arm of the United Nations. It has helped us put the "V" back in uppercase and bold! While UNV's primary function will continue to be the mobilization of people to serve, as volunteers, the causes of peace and development, we are coming to understand that there is a need to work on the broader canvas of promoting volunteerism. Contacts are expanding rapidly with more than 11,000 organizations and individuals joining our network by the end of 2000 and raising the banner of volunteerism around the world. Collectively they represent a powerful constituency for the United Nations. We intend to consolidate and nurture this constituency by serving as a volunteer portal to the UN family. Indeed, we believe that IYV 2001 will bring a new chain of runners embracing the values around "We the People" which are at the heart of the UN Charter.

Sharon Capeling-Alakija