Geneva, Switzerland: In his statement to the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme’s session at the UNDP Executive Board on Tuesday, the UNDP Administrator Kemal Dervis underlined the unique role of UNV within the United Nations in promoting volunteerism and mobilizing volunteers in support of development. Read

Geneva, Switzerland: More than 8,000 UNV volunteers in 2005 made distinctive contributions to development by providing access to services and service delivery, ensuring inclusion and participation, and mobilizing communities through voluntary action, according to the UNV programme’s new Annual Report launched today in Geneva. Read

Kinshasa, DR Congo: UNV volunteers attached to the UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC) are advancing preparations for the country’s elections scheduled at the end of July. Read

Bonn, Germany: UNV volunteers represent an impressive force in supporting UN peacekeeping operations, says Ad de Raad, Executive Coordinator of the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme, today in a message for the International Day of UN Peacekeepers, 29 May. Read

Lusaka, Zambia: American actor Matt Damon was in Zambia recently to visit a UNDP/UNV poverty reduction project as part of a listening and learning trip on efforts to fight extreme poverty in Africa. Damon’s five-day trip was sponsored by DATA (Debt AIDS Trade Africa), the Africa advocacy group co-founded by U2 lead singer Bono. Read

Ho, Ghana: In the small villages of the Volta region, opportunities for selling produce to urban markets are minimal. The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), with the involvement of three national UN Volunteers, is working to improve access to these markets and enhance the livelihoods of village residents. Read

Bogotá, Colombia: A new series of Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) icons that blend the objectives of the Goals with the history and culture of Latin America has been developed through a joint initiative of the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme, UNDP, DANSOCIAL and the Mayor’s Office of Bogotá. Read

Kiev, Ukraine: For Olga Kolosyuk, clean water represents progress in a post-Chernobyl Ukraine. The fact that her village of 1,000 has safe drinking water demonstrates what the community has accomplished—most notably the refurbishment of a local water supply—since taking the lead in improving their situation. She is one of numerous volunteers who, with the help of the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme, set up a community organization in the village. Read

Colombo, Sri Lanka: The Government of Sri Lanka and the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme today launched a new initiative to set in motion the establishment of a volunteer infrastructure to position volunteerism as a contributor to the country’s development agenda. Read

Lusaka, Zambia: UN Volunteers working with Zambia’s National AIDS Council are now able to extend their services to the remotest parts of the country, thanks to 54 vehicles recently given by UNDP and the World Bank. Read