This report was provided as advance documentation for the Executive Board annual session 16-27 June 2008 in Geneva, Switzerland. Read

UNV is promoting the role of volunteerism for development in Latin American countries, in preparation for the Ibero-American Summit in October. Read

Joyce Yu, Deputy Executive Coordinator of United Nations Volunteers, gives a speech to the 4th IOC World Conference on Women and Sport “Sport as a vehicle for social change” in Jordan on 9 March 2008. Read

Feb. 18 marks the 10th anniversary of the Volunteer Law in Brazil. Recently Eva Christina Rux, United Nations Volunteers (UNV) Programme Officer, spoke to Centre of Volunteer Action of Curitiba (CAV) about how the UNV programme has grown in Brazil during these 10 years, and what is needed to ensure its future development.  Although volunteerism is not a new phenomenon in Brazil, the presence of the Volunteer Law has legitimised the relationship between volunteers and social entities. UNV has formed a partnership with Johns Hopkins University and the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics to increase the visibility of Brazilian volunteer activities. Visit site

Published by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the report "Taking volunteers seriously", provides a picture of development in volunteering since 1999. 

UNV and IFRC has long been working together to promote volunteerism for development. The report says that the partnership between the International Federation and UNV has greatly contributed to the revalidation of volunteering and to concerted efforts to foster an environment that enables and optimizes the full potential of volunteering. Read