Tashkent, Uzbekistan: Last July UNDP and UNV in Uzbekistan joined forces to launch a two and half year project supporting volunteers and other young enthusiasts who want to make a positive impact in their communities. We are pleased to say that nine months later the project is bustling with activity. Read

Bonn, Germanny: On 8 April 1993, exactly 20 years ago today, Atsuhito Nakata (Atsu), a Japanese UN Volunteer working as a District Electoral Supervisor with the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC), was killed in a tragic ambush along with his Khmer interpreter, Lek Sophiep, in the province of Kampong Thom. He was 25 years old.

Atsu was one of 465 UN Volunteers District Electoral Supervisors deployed in Cambodia with UNTAC in 1992. Alongside 50,000 Cambodian nationals, they were at the forefront of the first national elections organized in the country. They worked and lived with local communities, helped organize electoral processes at community level, and carried out massive campaigns to inform the Cambodian population about elections and democratic principles. Read

Malawi: For UNV Specialist Anesthesiologist Dr. Nicholas Lenge Katawamba (DRC) at Zomba Central Hospital in Malawi, having only one ventilator in the four-bed ICU was one of the greatest challenges he faced in assisting patients. Using his networks, he  connected the hospital with a volunteer organization in the UK which collects good quality used medical equipment in Europe and sends it to developing countries where it can continue to save lives. Read

Today, 20 March, is the first International Day of Happiness. It is a day for us all to recognize the relevance of happiness and well-being as universal goals and the importance of including them in public policy objectives.  

New measures of global progress and sustainable development, which go beyond Gross National Product-driven measures, are needed. This includes well-being, volunteering, and civic participation. Read

Lomé, Togo: 750 new Togolese volunteers took an oath during the 12 March ceremony in Lomé organized by the National Volunteering Programme in Togo (PROVONAT) and the Government of Togo. PROVONAT was established and implemented by a team of UN Volunteers with funding from UNDP and technical support from UNV. Read

Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo: UNV and MONUSCO organized a race of Tshukudus through the streets of Goma (DRC) to celebrate peace and solidarity. Tshukudus are modified bicycle cargo carriers unique and essential to the area's economy. Read

United Nations Headquarters, New York: During the recent meetings of the Commission on the Status of Women in March, UNDP, UNFPA, UN Women and UNV combined efforts to host the side event "Why do men use violence and how do we stop it? New evidence on men's use of violence against women and girls and its uses for enhanced prevention."  The event presented the latest research from their Partners for Prevention Regional Joint Programme in Asia and the Pacific. Read

UN Online Volunteers have been supporting the NGO Global Civil Initiatives (GCI), founded by former UN Volunteers in Kyrgyzstan and working to build fair and just societies, with the development of a project targeting a group of women in the Issyk-Kul area of Kyrgyzstan who are vulnerable to violence and discrimination. Read

Pristina, Kosovo: In November, to mark the 16 Days of Activism to End Violence against Women in Kosovo, UN Women together with members of the Security and Gender Group, launched an online campaign to raise awareness of gender-based violence.  As a UN Volunteer Intern for Gender and Advocacy with UN Women in Kosovo, I was able to participate in this great initiative, which is part of the global UNiTE campaign to end violence against women. Read

Oslo, Norway: Last week Richard Dictus, Executive Coordinator of the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme, joined distinguished guests such as the Crown Prince Haakon of Norway and the Norwegian Minister of International Development, in speaking at Fredskorpset’s Youth Leadership Conference in Oslo. Read