05 December 2001

Islamabad, Pakistan: To mark the close of the International Year of Volunteers 2001 (IYV), and in celebration of International Volunteer Day, the United Nations System in Pakistan today launched a book featuring the work of Pakistani UN Volunteers serving abroad in developing countries.

The publication, entitled "Only One Soul", was produced by the United Nations Information Centre on behalf of the UN System in Pakistan. It documents the experiences of 14 Pakistani UN Volunteers who have served in large numbers all over the world, from Cambodia to Kosovo.

"The book is a fitting tribute to the volunteer spirit empowering Pakistanis at home and abroad," said UNV Executive Coordinator Sharon Capeling-Alakija.

"Pakistani UN Volunteers serving from Sierra Leone to East Timor continue to make their mark in today's world. These stories are worth telling and retelling, especially as we celebrate volunteer action worldwide on the annual International Volunteer Day."

According to UN Resident Coordinator in Islamabad, Onder Yucer, the members of the UN Country Team in Pakistan worked together to produce the publication in commemoration of IYV. "The text presents a reflection of the impact these UNVs have made in their work and the lives of the people they have been assigned to serve."

"Pakistani society, particularly close-knit and centred on solidarity, is very rich in volunteer organizations," wrote Eric Falt, Director of the UN Information Centre in his preface. "What was traditionally an informal arrangement has resulted in recent years in the creation of hundreds of civil society organizations all over the country."