Voluntary citizen participation is an essential part of civil society, which in turn is a key contributor to sustainable development, human rights, good governance and social justice. 2011, the tenth anniversary of the International Year of Volunteers (IYV+10), saw an upsurge of such action in different forms in many countries around the world.

Looking back on 2011, CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation and the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme have combined to analyze contemporary trends in voluntary action and make recommendations for policy-makers, civil society, and volunteer involving organizations, in our new publication, Broadening Civic Space through Voluntary Action. Read

San Vicente, El Salvador: Five international UN Volunteers from Brazil are in El Salvador working on disaster risk reduction and food security, as part of a South-South cooperation project between the Government of Brazil and the Government of El Salvador, in collaboration with UNV. Read

Guatemala: Christina Papadopoulou has been working with the UN Human Rights office (OHCHR) in Guatemala since 2008. She is a UN Volunteer who has chosen “to serve society and promote ideals such as social justice and equality.” Read

Tashkent, Uzbekistan: UNDP and UNV have created a legal support website in Tashkent which is run by pro-bono legal clinicians and is designed to help the city’s residents obtain the legal advice and support they require. Read

Odangwa, Namibia: A simple cookstove developed as part of the UNV-supported Community Based Adaptation (CBA) programme in Namibia is getting its moment in the spotlight at the current United Nations Climate Change Conference in Durban, South Africa. The EzyStove is a fuel-efficient, easy-to-use and environmentally friendly stove designed for poor rural households dependent on burning wood or paper on open fires for their cooking and heating. Read