UNV Sri Lanka Programme Officer Sarah Gleave says that some feel that volunteerism is becoming less important due to factors such as globalisation, but UNV sees it becoming increasingly important in this day and age.

"People are looking for ways to be more connected with their communities... In Sri Lanka volunteerism is embedded to the system," she says.

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The Ho Chi Minh Youth Union Central Committee and UNV pledged Friday to join hands in a US$1million project to enhance the capacity of volunteers to serve Vietnam’s development. Visit site

A programme of activities to celebrate International Volunteer Day (IVD) 2008, which falls on 5 December, will take place in Ha Noi on December 7. This announcement was made during a press conference held by the Ho Chi Minh Youth Union Central Committee and UNV in Hanoi on 5 December. Visit site

n some places, IVD will be marked with the launch of a week- or month-long campaign to promote volunteerism and recognize volunteers.

While underscoring volunteer contributions in development, the event will also discuss the role of volunteers in support of the development process of Ethiopia.

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Communities should harness the energy and initiative of the thousands of volunteers who contribute to projects around the world, including critical United Nations activities, senior UN officials said today as they marked the day dedicated to those who give their time and efforts for free to help others. Visit site

From treating AIDS patients to rebuilding confidence for war-scarred villagers to dealing with cattle rustlers, more than 7,500 UNV volunteers fan out around the globe every year, giving their time, hearts and sweat to helping some of world’s most deprived and traumatized people. Visit site

Communities should harness the energy and initiative of the thousands of volunteers who contribute to projects around the world, including critical United Nations activities, senior UN officials said here Friday as they marked the day dedicated to those who give their time and efforts for free to help others. Visit site

A Volunteer Fair will be held on Saturday to celebrate volunteerism in Odisha and worldwide. The event will provide an opportunity to individuals who want to contribute to their community to connect with NGOs needing volunteers to work on different social issues.

This year, volunteers of the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme in Odisha will participate and share their experiences to underline the contributions volunteerism can make to social and economic development. Visit site

She has much experience in HIV/AIDS research and prevention, playing leading roles in helping others battle the disease in her home region of Xinjiang. But none of these had fully prepared Canaria Gaffar for working among HIV-positive colleagues on a daily basis in the past six months.

Gaffar was sent from her hometown of Urumqi to Nanning, capital of the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, as a member of the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme.

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AARP (formerly the American Association of Retired People) believes that we cannot overstate the value of the United Nations support and promotion of volunteering among government agencies, non-profit organizations, community groups, and the private sector. Today, societies worldwide are successfully engaging volunteers in a spirit of solidarity for the effort to achieve the United Nations Millennium Development Goals by 2015. Visit site