Bonn, Germany: A record number of 5,635 mid-career professionals served with the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme in 2003 to promote peace, relief and development initiatives through volunteer action. Read

Bonn, Germany: The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme has announced the 2004 "Online Volunteers of the Year". The 10 individuals who come from Australia, India, Kenya, the Philippines, Spain, the United States and Zimbabwe, were recognized for their outstanding contributions to organizations in Asia, Africa and Latin America, via UNV's Online Volunteering (OV) service. Read

Bonn, Germany: The Online Volunteering (OV) service has been relaunched at a new URL, www.onlinevolunteering.org. The OV service, managed by the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme, resumes its mission of connecting online volunteers with non-governmental organizations, UN organizations and academic institutions serving people and communities in the developing world. Read

Bonn, Germany/New York, USA: The Online Volunteering (OV) service, jointly developed and operated by NetAid and the UN Volunteers (UNV) programme, will move entirely to UNV early 2004. Read

Bonn, Germany: Every 5 December since 1985, people in countries around the world have celebrated volunteerism and recognized the crucial work of volunteer involving organizations and individual volunteers at local, national and international levels. Over the years, rallies, parades, community volunteering projects, environmental awareness, free medical care and speeches by high-ranking government officials have all featured prominently on International Volunteer Day (IVD). The largest celebration took place in 2001 at the close of the International Year of Volunteers (IYV) in over 100 countries. To many, that seemed to be the pinnacle. But don’t be deceived: volunteers of all ages, races and cultures, are still climbing. Read

Bonn, Germany: Volunteering being a 365 days-a-year task means International Volunteer Day (IVD) should be a day that never ends, Ad de Raad, Executive Coordinator, a.i. of the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme said today in a message marking the annual celebration of volunteerism. Read

Tens of thousands of volunteers around the world are preparing to celebrate International Volunteer Day (IVD) on 05 December. Celebrations range from heads of state presenting certificates of appreciation to individual volunteers, to modest gatherings in private residences, to panel discussions on how volunteerism can be expanded in the private sector are planned. Read

Bonn, Germany: The United Nations family paid their final respects to the late Sharon Capeling-Alakija (1944 -2003), UN Volunteers Executive Coordinator, at a memorial service in Bonn, Germany. The service was prepared by UN Volunteers staff and attended by dignitaries, colleagues, family and personal friends from all parts of the world. Read

From the perspective of the Programme that I represent, i.e. the United Nations Volunteers Programme, it will not surprise you that I will use this brief intervention to highlight the indispensible role that voluntary action and volunteers play in any strategy of disaster reduction, including early warning. Read

Bonn, Germany/Tokyo, Japan: Japan's Kwansei Gakuin University (KGU) and the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) have reached an agreement establishing the university as the first institution of higher learning in Asia to form a volunteer-sending partnership with the United Nations Information Technology Service (UNITeS). Read