On Friday, 24 August 2012, Flavia Pansieri, Executive Coordinator of the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme, and Jean-Pierre Ezin, Commissioner for Human Resources, Science and Technology with the African Union Commission (AUC), signed a letter of understanding in Bonn where the two organizations agree to harmonize their efforts to promote the concept of youth volunteerism as a means to advance socio-economic growth and development in Africa. Read

Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire: UNV Programme presented a communiqué on Volunteerism and humanitarian actions in the presence of 40 young participants from Benin, Niger, Togo, Nigeria and Côte d’Ivoire. The objective of the communication was to motivate young scouts to get involved in volunteer actions for humanitarian purposes in an Africa plagued by incessant conflicts. Read

Bonn, Germany: Getting involved in the London 2012 Olympic & Paralympic Games has proven to be a fantastic, once-in-a-lifetime experience for the 70,000 volunteers assisting the organizers in making the Games happen.

Coming from 70 countries from across the globe and outfitted with purple and red volunteer uniforms, these “Games Makers” were hard to miss in the UK throughout July and August – their work has hit the headlines and displayed the impact had by their Olympic volunteerism. Read

Tirana, Albania: In Albania – the country with the highest percentage of youth in Southeast Europe – Roma youth face heavy discrimination. Their exclusion from sports competitions, school events, vocational training and community life often has a negative impact on their self-confidence. Four Albanians enlisted as UN Volunteers to share their experience directly with youth from nearly 2,000 Roma and Egyptian families. Read

Taskent, Uzbekistan: It has been the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme’s on-going objective to motivate and support Uzbekistan’s energetic and remarkable youth volunteers in their endeavours. As part of these efforts, a national project will soon begin, and it will enhance youth civic participation and involvement in democratic governance practices. Read

Dodoma, Tanzania: How do you equip youth with the necessary skills to avoid unwanted sex? What factors lead to risky sexual behaviour? How do you prevent HIV transmission among youth? These topics form but a snapshot of the issues that fuelled lively discussions during a recent training session on comprehensive sexuality education that I attended in my duty station, Zanzibar, Tanzania. Read

Morocco/Sudan/DR Congo: The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme recently launched the “Arab Youth Volunteering for a Better Future” initiative, which aims to build the skills and capacities of young people in the Arab States and enhance their participation in the socio-economic development of their communities through volunteering. The initiative will lead to a regional programme covering Egypt, Yemen, Jordan, Tunisia and Morocco. Read

Freetown, Sierra Leone: The youth IMPACT Volunteer club aims to address the needs of marginalized communities in Freetown and sub-areas by encouraging young graduates to use their knowledge and skills at the grassroots community level. The project aims to contribute to the peaceful coexistence of communities by creating environmentally-friendly livelihood opportunities in a selected number of communities. Read

Cairo, Egypt: The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme formed a groundbreaking partnership with the Arab Federation for Voluntary Activities (AFVA) under the patronage of the League of Arab States (LAS). UNV Executive Coordinator, Flavia Pansieri, and Secretary General of AFVA, Mr. Yousef Al Kazim, signed a new memorandum of understanding (MOU) at AFVA’s eighth annual conference. Read