Apia, Samoa: UNV volunteer Dr. Willy Morrell has been helping to plant trees as part of a carbon-offsetting initiative at the South Pacific Games, held from 25 August to 8 September in Samoa. The project is helping to green the local environment and also offset the carbon emissions of the thousands of spectators, competitors and officials who have traveled from more than 22 countries to attend the Games. Read

Bonn, Germany: The UN Volunteers programme (UNV) is preparing to deploy the first of almost 600 UNV volunteers to the Darfur region in Sudan to provide substantive and mission support ranging from human rights and child protection to medical services, communications and logistics. Read

Phnom Penh, Cambodia: It is not everyday that UNV volunteers and fishermen rub shoulders with an international celebrity. But the visit last week of Ms. Misako Konno, Japanese actress and writer, brought some rare glamour and excitement to a UN Volunteers project on Tonlé Sap Lake. Read

Niamey, Niger: The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme has launched an initiative to assist Niger in recruiting members for its new national volunteerism scheme. The Government of Niger recently adopted a decree, establishing a national scheme for volunteerism for development (V4D). Read

Ha Noi, Viet Nam: The Viet Nam Women's Union, United Nations Volunteers (UNV) and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), are organising a national workshop entitled “ Promotion of the Greater Involvement of People Living with HIV/AIDS (GIPA) and Reduction of Stigma and Discrimination ” from 27 to 29 August 2007 in Ha Noi. Read

Antananarivo, Madagascar: For seven consecutive years, Kraft Foods has been partnering with the UN Volunteers (UNV) Corporate/Private Sector programme for two-week corporate volunteer assignments. One of the missions this year requested support for a small jam-making factory called IRAY (IRAY), located in Antananarivo, Madagascar. Read

Rukha, Bhutan: Chanting resounds across Rukha village, raising the spirits of Olep community members working tirelessly on their housing construction.  The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the UN Volunteers programme (UNV) are supporting the Integrated Community Development for Poverty Reduction project which is executed locally by the Tarayana Foundation, a non-profit organization. Read

Beijing, China: UNV, UNDP and Chinese partners today launched an Olympics-based project to support volunteerism as a resource for development in China. The project will train 100,000 volunteers to support the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games and promote environmental awareness, and also help develop a large-scale Volunteerism For Development (V4D) programme across China. Read

Dili, Timor-Leste: The President of the Republic of Timor-Leste, Dr. José Ramos-Horta, has congratulated the more than 250 UNV volunteers from 70 countries working with the United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste (UNMIT), who assisted throughout the electoral process in April, May and June of this year. Read

Dili, Timor-Leste: The UNV programme in Timor-Leste recently launched a National UNV volunteer scheme to promote citizens' participation in the governance process. Thirteen Timorese volunteers were initially recruited to work as civic education officers. Read