10 April 2003

Bonn, Germany: United Nations Volunteers attached to the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) have launched their first web site, as part of UNMIK's overall web presence.

Visitors to the web page can find information about UN Volunteers’ contributions to the mission, the UNV Support Office and UNV-related events in Kosovo. Special features such as "UNVs' Portraits" enable the user to read about UN Volunteers currently assigned to UNMIK. Through an interactive search machine, users can sort data about the Volunteers, for example, to find out how many Volunteers from a particular country are serving in Kosovo. The UNV-UNMIK web page is linked to the global web sites of United Nations Volunteers (UNV) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) as well as to the web site of UNDP, Kosovo.

The launch took place Wednesday at the UNMIK Administrative Headquarters and was attended by the Director of Administration, Luiz Carlos da Costa, representatives from UNDP, UN Volunteers and friends.

In her welcome address, UNV Programme Manager Christine Botejue-Kyle explained that the web site would help disseminate information on the UNV Programme in Kosovo and highlight the specific contributions volunteers are making within the mission to audiences in Kosovo and abroad. She thanked UNMIK web designer Antonio Carlos da Silva from the Department of Public Information/UNMIK, for helping UNV in designing and programming the page.

Mr. da Silva pointed out that the UNV database added value to the web site, bringing interactivity to users and thus making the site more user-friendly. Angela Griep, UNV Public Information Officer, then highlighted the site's features and special effects, including music, photos, articles and web links.