Vuno, Albania: The camp helped to increase awareness among the participants about volunteerism and the importance of voluntary actions for community mobilization and local development. Read

Sentosa, Singapore: In conjunction with the tenth anniversary of the International Year of Volunteers, the 21st IAVE World Volunteer Conference, 'Volunteering to Change the World', is taking place in Singapore this week. "IAVE provides all of us with an opportunity to bring major players in the field of volunteerism together, to discuss global trends and pave the way for a strengthened global volunteerism agenda," said UNV Executive Coordinator Flavia Pansieri in her conference speech of 23 January 2011. Read

Bonn, Germany: Close to 12,000 people contributed to the success of an online film festival to celebrate International Volunteer Day over the weekend. The festival, hosted on the United Nations Volunteers Facebook page, started on Saturday (4 December) with a story about volunteer civic educators working to empower women in Fiji. On the ground in that Pacific Island country, scores of people counted down the final minute before the 24-hour film festival began. Read

Bratislava, Slovakia: This research study on the state of volunteerism in Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) looks at the contribution of volunteerism to peace and development, addressing the key questions of how volunteerism can help achieve the MDGs in the region, what are some of the key challenges it encounters and how its impact can be enhanced. This publication is the first of its kind for the region, and provides new and powerful information on a unique history of volunteerism in this part of the world. You can download the full version or a summary of the report below. Read

Abeche, Chad: ”Many people and organizations have made a difference in my life, and I want to give back. I can’t express the happiness, emotions and also the level of responsibility that I feel. UNV turns to reality my dream of giving back to society." Read

Guangzhou, China: The 2010 Asian Games organizers expect some 600,000 volunteers to serve at the games and Paralympic venues and throughout the host city of Guangzhou, China. Read

Shanghai, China: The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme opened a multi-media exhibit at the 2010 Shanghai World Expo to raise awareness about the value of voluntary action and attract new UNV volunteers. The exhibit runs until 18 August and joins those of 35 other UN agencies participating in the UN Pavilion. It aims to raise awareness of the contribution volunteerism makes to peace and development and to encourage qualified individuals to apply to become UNV volunteers. Read

Yerevan, Armenia: The booklet 'Culture of Volunteerisms in Armenia' explores three focus areas - the regulatory environment, motivations behind volunteerism, and volunteer management practices - to explain the under-utilization of volunteers and to suggest opportunities for the promotion of volunteerism in the country. It is the result of the joint efforts of the researcher, Ms. Mane Tadevosyan, and Ms. Lusine Hakobyan, National Coordinator for the CIVICUS Civil Society Index in Armenia, a project within Counterpart International. The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme in Armenia helped to define the methodology and to gather the data for the study. Read

Koidu, Sierra Leone: It's every UNV volunteer's task to support voluntary action in the communities they support. So those of them assigned to WFP in Sierra Leone help sustain the work of civil society. Read

Koidu, Sierra Leone: One way in which Dodou and the WFP support voluntary organizations is through  'food-for-training' schemes. Students learn a trade and receive meals so they can complete their courses. Read