Ottawa, Canada: UNV's presentation to the annual meeting of the International Volunteer Cooperation Organisations (IVCO) in Ottawa helped to provoke discussion on the impact of volunteering to the changing development environment.  Read

Bonn, Germany: On Friday 7 December, almost one year after her last visit to the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme headquarters in Bonn, Germany, Rebeca Grynspan, the UNDP Associate Administrator, was welcomed again by UNV’s Executive Coordinator,  Flavia Pansieri. More than 100 staff members gathered to hear Ms Grynspan’s opinions on engaging volunteers and integrating volunteerism into programming. Read

Across the world today, from Ecuador to Haiti, Liberia to Bosnia, Jordan to Vietnam, people are celebrating International Volunteer Day (IVD).  Volunteers and volunteer organizations are holding a variety of events including parades, campaigns, conferences, competitions, blood donation drives and coordinated volunteer actions.  They are celebrating with their communities, local institutions, UN organizations and government authorities to recognize the hope and commitment that volunteers bring to make the world a better place. Visit site

Bonn, Germany: After announcing the ten winners of the Online Volunteering Award 2012, UNV invited citizens worldwide to vote for their favourite team.

The online volunteers that helped UNDP Brazil spread the word about the Rio+20 Dialogues got the most votes. This initiative of the Brazilian government supported by the UN created a direct channel for global civil society participation in Rio+20. Read

Bonn, Germany: Today, December 5th, is International Volunteer Day (IVD).  From Argentina to Pakistan, Slovenia to Timor-Leste, volunteers and voluntary organizations are holding a variety of events including parades, campaigns, conferences, competitions, blood donation drives and coordinated volunteer actions.  They are celebrating with their communities, local institutions, UN organizations and government authorities to recognise the hope and commitment that volunteers bring to make the world a better place.  Read

New York, USA: As we celebrate the impact of volunteers on our world, let us remember the many places they are needed: in war zones and classrooms, in hospitals and homes – wherever struggling people seek a helping hand. Let us also remember that volunteering can embrace all people, from the activist who works full-time for a cause to the occasional citizen who reaches out when he or she can. Each sets an example of the spirit of compassion we need. Each makes a valuable contribution to reaching our common goals. Read

New York, USA: Today, on International Volunteer Day 2012, we celebrate the commitment that volunteers bring to making the world a better place, and the impact they have. The core values of volunteerism – striving for the common good in a spirit of solidarity and without expecting material reward - are shared universally across cultures, languages, and religions. Read

Bonn, Germany: On International Volunteer Day 2012, we celebrate the commitment and impact that volunteers bring to making the world a better place. Today, we uphold the values of volunteerism - solidarity, reciprocity, mutual trust and belonging – which are universal and transcend the boundaries of culture, language and geography. Read

New York, USA: Working with the United Nations Department of Public Information (DPI), a team of three UN Online Volunteers turned the print version of the United Nations 2013 calendar into an iPhone application. The UN Calender of Observances  app is also the product of collaboration within DPI itself, including staff and interns. This personal task management tool aims to foster interest in and support for the work of the United Nations, and can be downloaded for free from the iTunes Store. Read

London, United Kingdom: The 70,000 volunteers who served the London 2012 Paralympic Games, included persons with disabilities.  In their trademark purple t-shirts, they helped athletes on and off the sports fields and visitors throughout the vast metropolis. Read