Maastricht, Netherlands: We live in an increasingly inter-connected and inter-dependent world. Any debate on European issues impacts in one way or another on events beyond the region. So UNV being here has everything to do with making the case that we should not be blind to the fact that many of the issues covered at this Conference are equally relevant to poor countries and societies of the developing world. It is about making sure that what often seems to be a “blind spot” becomes a “hot spot”. Read

Maastricht, Netherlands: To tackle poverty in the developing world, Ad de Raad, Executive Coordinator of the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme, says countries in the North must increase its support to volunteering in the South, including a greater acknowledgement of volunteerism as a main partner in development. Read