Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan: During my classes, I taught English without using their mother tongue. It was a challenge for me to offer the training only in English and teach my second language. Many people asked me: "Why are you an English teacher? You are Japanese." At first I couldn’t reply to this question. However, I found my answer. Read

Tokyo, Japan: Mr. Takehito Nakata, UNV Honorary Ambassador (retired) will this week receive the 'Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette', one of the highest decorations bestowed by the Japanese Government. Read

New York, USA: A UN General Assembly committee has adopted a new UN resolution that calls on governments to mobilize support for volunteerism research and asks the UN system to integrate volunteerism into its programmes. Read

Ulaangom, Mongolia: A UNV volunteer has teamed up with Japanese partners to help Mongolians market some products with unusual benefits -  such as the second most nutritious fruit in the world. Read

Yokahama, Japan: UNV is showcasing the importance of volunteerism in Africa at the fourth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD IV) conference. UNV Executive Coordinator Flavia Pansieri and UNV Chief of the Africa Region Michele Falavigna are attending in order to contribute to the conference and its output documents (such as the Yokahama Declaration and Plan of Action), and to discuss UNV's activities with the Japanese and African media. The conference runs from 28-30 May in Yokohama, Japan. Read

Tokyo, Japan: The Government of Japan and the UN have extended assistance to the Joint Program for the Support of Human Security in Honduras (PCASH) for the second year, with a contribution of US $1.28 million through the United Nations Trust Fund for Human Security. The programme now involves seven UNV volunteers, the only PCASH personnel engaged in the country. Read

A ceremony paying tribute to outgoing UNV Honorary Ambassador Takehito Nakata took place on 8 April.  As a result, there was widespread news coverage from major newspapers and television stations in Japan. Read

Tokyo, Japan: During her first official visit to Japan, UNV Executive Coordinator Flavia Pansieri paid tribute to outgoing UNV Honorary Ambassador Takehito Nakata, calling him “a source of inspiration for tens of thousands of volunteers and future volunteers”. Read

Tokyo, Japan: We are gathered here today to honour Mr Takehito Nakata who has been serving as the sole Honorary Ambassador for the United Nations Volunteers programme for 15 years. Read

Takehito Nakata is to retire as an honorary ambassador of the UN Volunteers (UNV) program on April 8--the 15th anniversary of the day his son, Atsuhito, was shot dead at the age of 25 while working as a UN election monitor in Cambodia. Read