San Carlos, Colombia: UNV Executive Coordinator Flavia Pansieri was in San Carlos last Sunday 5 December, visiting the community UNV volunteers’ “Animarte” project and participating in their celebrations to mark International Volunteer Day. Volunteering was promoted as an important instrument to help reduce poverty. "Volunteer action is essential for communities to get closer to the target of achieving the MDGs”, said Flavia Pansieri. Read

Bonn, Germany: Close to 12,000 people contributed to the success of an online film festival to celebrate International Volunteer Day over the weekend. The festival, hosted on the United Nations Volunteers Facebook page, started on Saturday (4 December) with a story about volunteer civic educators working to empower women in Fiji. On the ground in that Pacific Island country, scores of people counted down the final minute before the 24-hour film festival began. Read

Bonn, Germany: This year, International Volunteer Day (IVD) comes at a vibrant time. 'Share the Story' is the theme of UNV's IVD campaign. UNV is using social media to engage in a global online conversation focused on how volunteering contributes to meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

People the world over joined UNV on Facebook yesterday (4 December) for a 24-hour online film festival to celebrate the worldwide impact of volunteerism. The festival showed volunteers in action, featured volunteer stories and hosted discussions on how volunteerism contributes to ending poverty. Read

Bonn, Germany: Today, on the International Volunteer Day for Economic and Social Development (IVD), international volunteer-based organizations around the world launch a year-long campaign aimed at better understanding, promoting and supporting volunteerism. Read

Bonn, Germany: The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme today announced the winners of the "Online Volunteering Award 2010", honouring the 'outstanding' contributions of volunteers who work entirely over the Internet to contribute to peace and development and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Read

Bonn, Germany: In the lead-up to International Volunteer Day, the United Nations Volunteers programme invites the world to an online film festival. The online festival—which starts at 14:00 GMT +12 on 4 December—will cross the globe, stopping in 12 time zones to see how voluntary action is making a difference. Read

Port au Prince, Haiti: Despite the calamities suffered this year, Haitians are bent on exercising their civic duty at the 28 November 2010 elections. Apart from the 21 UNV volunteers that make up the electoral section of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti, an additional 200 will soon be deployed all over the country. Read

Kakuma, Kenya: An estimated 75,000 refugees whose lives have been directly affected by war and conflict with members of their Turkana (host) community celebrated International Day of Peace in Kakuma, northern Kenya. Read

Bonn, Germany: Within one day of its launch last week, almost 3,000 people had connected with the United Nations Volunteers’ (UNV) Facebook page.

'We are delighted by the response,' said UNV Executive Coordinator, Flavia Pansieri. The page invites volunteers, organizations, civil society, and interested people around the world to join a global discussion about how volunteerism can end poverty. Read

Bonn, Germany: Today we are starting a global discussion to Share the Story about volunteering to meet the MDGs.  We can meet the Goals, but only if we complement essential government action with the engagement of millions of people through volunteer action.  Our discussion will culminate in a 24-hour, online film festival that will showcase video stories received from volunteers, communities, civil society, non-governmental organizations and United Nations partners. Read