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

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

Working together with the Youth Association for Population and Development in Egypt, UNV volunteers sailed the Nile to empower the people of Egypt to reach the MDGs through volunteer efforts.  The campaign was a joint initiative between United Nations organizations and civil society, national and local government, private sector, media and communities. Read

The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) can only be achieved with the full involvement of people all over the world. The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme is the UN organization that promotes volunteerism for development (V4D). Its work includes the assignment each year of over 8000 skilled and experienced women and men to support a broad range of development programmes, which contribute to achieving the MDGs in some 140 countries around the world. Read

In the developing world, an estimated 1.2 billion people survive on less than US$1 a day, 800 million are under-nourished and 153 million children under age five are underweight. Working primarily at community level with a range of development partners, the UN Volunteers (UNV) programme focuses on activities aimed at strengthening local capacity, fostering ownership and participation, and building on existing forms of voluntary action. Read

Worldwide, an estimated 114 million children of primary school age are still not enrolled in school, depriving one in every five children access to even the most basic education. At community level, the UN Volunteers (UNV) programme works in partnership with local volunteer-involving organizations such as parent-teacher associations to address issues relating to enrollment, school dropouts and low literacy rates. In collaboration with other development partners, UNV also helps strengthen the capacity of institutions, teachers and other professionals to deliver effective educational services. Read

Women play a pivotal role in family and social cohesion and are engaged in a wide range of economic activities. Their voluntary and collective engagement in development constitutes a formidable force for social and economic transformation. The UN Volunteers (UNV) programme uses its outreach capacity and its proximity to volunteer-involving organizations and their networks to help tap the huge potential of women for development and social change. It further provides practical support to women’s groups in such areas as literacy, effective management, financial systems, micro-credit, and income generation. Read

Every year, nearly 11 million children die before their fifth birthday, well over 1,200 every hour of every day. Virtually all of the fatalities (99 per cent) occur in poor countries, mainly from easily preventable or treatable illnesses. Working primarily at local level with a range of development partners, the UN Volunteers (UNV) programme supports activities aimed at the successful promotion of public health care policy, strengthening institutional capacity for effective service delivery, fostering community participation and ownership, and raising awareness on critical health issues. Read

Globally, more than 500,000 women die in pregnancy or childbirth annually. In the developing world, the risk of dying in childbirth is one in 48, even though virtually all countries now have safe motherhood programmes. Working primarily at local level with a range of development partners, the UN Volunteers (UNV) programme supports activities aimed at the successful promotion of public health care policy, strengthening institutional capacity for effective service delivery, fostering community participation and ownership, and raising awareness on critical health issues. Read

HIV/AIDS is the leading cause of death in sub-Saharan Africa and number four worldwide. However, countries such as Brazil, Senegal, Thailand and Uganda have shown that the spread of HIV/AIDS and other major diseases can be stemmed. Working primarily at local level with a range of development partners, the UN Volunteers (UNV) programme supports activities aimed at the successful promotion of public health care policy, strengthening institutional capacity for effective service delivery, fostering community participation and ownership, and raising awareness on critical health issues. Read

More than one billion people do not have access to safe drinking water and some two billion people lack access to proper sanitation services. In collaboration with development partners and working closely with communities and municipalities, the UN Volunteers (UNV) programme helps strengthen local capacity to ensure the sustainable use of, and equitable access to, natural resources. UNV also provides technical expertise in water and sanitation, supports efforts to generate income in an environmentally sustainable manner, and engages in activities such as environmental awareness campaigns and education programmes. Read

In encouraging global partnerships for development, the UN Volunteers (UNV) programme works with private sector companies in the south to help establish business-community programmes targeting grassroots communities. UNV also actively encourages and facilitates corporate volunteering through which private sector companies extend the services of their employees, free of charge, to community-focused development initiatives. Read