Sometimes, UN Volunteers and UN online volunteers work hand in hand. As a UNV Programme Manager in Togo, Sonia Rigaud (France) called on Elise Gourier, a French translator living Switzerland, to translate material through UNV's Online Volunteering service.  Read

Budapest, Hungary: Participants at the recent Global Volunteering Conference were introduced to The Manual on the Measurement of Volunteer Work published by the International Labour Organization (ILO) in cooperation with the Johns Hopkins University (JHU) Center for Civil Society Studies, supported by the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme.

A recent study has conservatively estimated the value of volunteering across just 37 countries as at least $400 billion. However, the lack of comparable data on global volunteering has left it under-valued and its full potential unrealized. The Manual, available now online and in print, provides the first internationally sanctioned guidance for generating reliable, official data on volunteer work using a common definition and approach. Read

The International Day of Peace has been celebrated on 21 September since 1981.  Since 2001, this day has also been "devoted to commemorating and strengthening the ideals of peace both within and among all nations and peoples."

At this time, it is important to recognize the significant role played by UN Volunteers working for the achievement of sustainable peace and stability around the world.  UN Volunteers, including those in Liberia and Haiti, are among the many around the world marking Peace Day today. Read

Budapest, Hungary: On the final day of the recent Global Volunteering Conference in Budapest, volunteer-involving organizations from across the world adopted a Declaration determined to value, recognize and encourage volunteering’s contribution to people, their communities and our planet. The Declaration was a high point and the culmination of months of background work by staff of the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), the conference co-hosts. Read

Budapest, Hungary: Over 200 international delegates are meeting in Budapest, Hungary, from 15-17 September, to discuss the future of volunteerism at the Global Volunteering Conference, "Volunteering for a Sustainable Future", co-hosted by the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme and the International Federation of Red Cross Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). Read

Bonn, Germany: More than 1,400 people – grassroots representatives from over 70 countries – gathered in Bonn, Germany, from 3 to 5 September for the United Nations Department of Public Information/Non-Governmental Organization Annual Conference. The conference revolved around the theme of "Sustainable Societies, Responsive Citizens."
 
The participants, representing 460 different NGOs, shared best practices, displayed their efforts in an exhibition hall, and forged documents that will be integrated into next year's Rio+20, the UN Conference on Environment and Development. Read

Bonn, Germany: If the next generations are to benefit from development, then development has to be sustainable. This is the challenge we all face. Yet, the best solutions are often the simplest ones, and the theme of the 64th annual UN DPI-NGO conference, being held in Bonn, Germany from 3 to 5 September, says it all: Sustainable Societies, Responsive Citizens. Read

Gaza, Occupied Palestinian Territory: In Gaza late last July, the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme organized a volunteer event to promote volunteer action and volunteering values. Read

This year, “youth” was more than just a word to volunteers involved with Sri Lankan youth service organizations.  On 12 August, International Youth Day, 1500 youth volunteers assembled on a Colombo sports field to form the word “youth” and break the Guinness World Record for the Largest Human Mosaic. Read

São Paulo, Brazil: It is such an honour to be a UN Volunteer, serving in my own country, and seeing the positive impact that the Cisco Networking Academy ICTs educational programme is having. Read