Some 1,000 youths from across West Africa have marched through the streets of the Liberian capital, Monrovia, to launch a new regional volunteer scheme.

The scheme would see youths spend time helping out in areas such as agriculture, health or education in a different country to their own.

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Representatives of UNV met with heads of non-commercial organizations of Shirak region at the Center for Organizing Youth Initiatives (COYI). Visit site

The past two years in particular have brought volunteerism to mainstream attention. Humanitarian disasters in the region have been an impetus. The 2006 Israeli war against Lebanon and the 2003 invasion of Iraq led to a flood of refugees into Syria.

Signe Ejerskov, the former head of the United Nations Volunteer (UNV) programme in Syria, which recruited 70 young Syrians to work with the UN’s refugee agency, said it had a big effect.

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Hala Abu Ghazaleh said she doesn’t let her mother trash anything without her approval. "We can use garbage to create useful things," the third-grader said, adding that she now knows how to make lamps, dolls and Christmas trees from discarded material thanks to a workshop organised by the United Nations Volunteer programme in cooperation with the Princess Basma Youth Resources Centre (PBYRC). Visit site

Rose Nyirenda was a businessperson many enjoyed buying from. It is not that she knew how to market her goods. Neither was it because her goods were the best. All businesspersons sold the same goods. Visit site

Prajwal Baral, a Nepali national, has won UNV's Online Volunteering Award 2009. This Award honours the 'outstanding' contributions of volunteers who work entirely over the internet to contribute to peace and development by helping non-profit development organisations. Visit site

The Asian Development Bank and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) have signed two MoU to help Nepal government in enhancing reforms in local level governance. Visit site

International Volunteer Day takes place on December 5th each year and is celebrated in a majority of countries throughout the world.  Its main goal is not only to thank volunteers for their efforts, but to encourage everyone to get involved and make a difference in their own communities. Visit site

The Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport in collaboration with Voluntary Services Overseas (VSO) and the United Nations Volunteers programme (UNV) hosted a roundtable discussion on "Volunteering and it’s contribution to the development of Guyana" yesterday at the National Library. Visit site

People around the world are volunteering hundreds of thousands of hours to tackle climate change and send a message to world leaders that everyone is part of the solution.

A new website, www.VolunteeringForOurPlanet.org has drawn thousands of visitors to register the time they have spent as environmental volunteers since World Environment Day, 5 June, and the time they will spend until International Volunteer Day, 5 December.

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