Banda Aceh, Indonesia: In partnership with the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme, Acehnese musicians Mahrisal Rubi and Edy Erwinsyah released a song commemorating the second anniversary of the tsunami that hit several countries of South East Asia on 26 December 2004. Read

Damascus, Syria: What is that one month takes you to the borders of a war zone and an impromptu refugee camp and the next month has you attending a gender mainstreaming workshop and visiting a national biodiversity project? These are common experiences for UN Volunteer Associates serving as Human Development Advocates out of the offices of the UNDP in Syria. Read

Pristina, Serbia: UN Volunteers participation in UNMIK dates back to the beginning of the mission in June 1999 when some 200 UN Volunteers supported the mission in humanitarian work, organizing food deliveries, providing medical care and setting up temporary shelter for thousands of refugees returning to Kosovo. Read

Port of Spain: Mr. Ad Melkert, UN Under-Secretary-General and Associate Administrator of the UN Development Programme (UNDP), today awards UNDP Excellence Awards to outstanding UNV volunteers in Trinidad and Tobago for their commitment as ambassadors of volunteerism for development. Read

Banda Aceh, Indonesia: Norimasa Tochibayashi arrived in Indonesia on February 23, 2005. He had no job, no idea where he was heading and how he could help, and no contact numbers of people who would be willing to support him. He was only certain of one thing: he wanted to help those who most needed it after the December 26 tsunami. Read

Cairo, Egypt: The 8 boats participating in a ‘Sailing the Nile’ campaign reached their final destination in Cairo last Thursday. The fleet had sailed down the Nile with stops in eight Egyptian towns to promote the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and MDG projects involving volunteerism. Read

Colombo: Mr. Takehito Nakata, Japanese UNV Honorary Ambassador, this week went on his first official mission to Sri Lanka on the occasion of International Volunteer Day (IVD). The Peace Concert on IVD, 5 December, was one of the missions’ highlights. Read

Banda Aceh, Indonesia: Up to 100 people, many of them affected by the 2004 tsunami, participated in a ‘Volunteer Awareness Campaign’ organized this past Saturday, December 02, 2006 by United Nations Volunteers (UNV) in Banda Aceh. The event paved the way for the annual commemoration of the International Volunteer Day (IVD) on December 5th, a date proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in 1985 to bring together volunteers from all walks of life, and draw attention to their important contributions to social development and peace building. Read

Bonn, Germany: Every year, the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme and its Online Volunteering (OV) service honour ten exceptional women and men who have made an exemplary impact on human development by sharing their expertise over the Internet and by demonstrating their commitment to volunteering. The winners of the “Online Volunteer of the Year” award for 2006 were announced today. Read

Bonn, Germany: Every day, countless citizens volunteer their time, energy and skills in response to crises or people in need. International Volunteer Day (IVD) was instituted to make visible and recognize the contribution of these unknown heroes, who, by their engagement, bring their countries one step closer to the Millennium Development Goals. Read