Tallinn, Estonia/Bonn, Germany: Scores of volunteers who make sports possible across Europe will discuss trends and challenges in sports volunteering at the 15th European Sports Conference in Tallinn, Estonia, which will be held on 27 and 28 June. Representatives from 27 countries will take part in the event, which comes half way through the UN-declared International Year of Volunteers (IYV 2001). Media representatives are invited. Read

Bonn, Germany: After Cambodia's wars in the 1970s, many traditional villages and cultural heritage sites were destroyed. As people struggled to survive, there was little opportunity for basic education let alone a chance to learn traditional music, dance, customs and value systems. Read

Lausanne, Switzerland/Bonn, Germany: National Olympic Committees worldwide will honour 70,000 volunteers as part of widespread support for the ongoing International Year of Volunteers 2001 (IYV 2001). Read

Guatemala City: Three years ago, Oskar Mejía, a Swedish sociologist and teacher, left his home country to become one of 13 "UN Peace Promoters" in Guatemala. Confronted with conditions of extreme poverty, racism and social and political marginalization of the population, the UNV of Salvadorean origin soon realized that lasting peace in Guatemala was still a long way down the road. Read

Bonn, Germany: Ricardo Carugati, a 43-year-old Argentinean, has been living in Gaza for nearly three years. As a UN Volunteer, he has taken up the interesting position as official trainer of the Palestinian football team. Jean-Luc Bories, UNV Programme Manager in Gaza and the West Bank, spoke with the football coach. Read

West Timor, Indonesia: Despite the recent disturbances following a popular consultation ballot in neighbouring East Timor, UNV development efforts continue on the western section of the island. Read

Bonn, Germany: The Imbakucha-San Pablo Lake basin is home to four villages and no less than 38 different indigenous groups. To on-going inter-ethnic strife, poverty and pollution are serious obstacles to overcome.To address these challenges, a team of National UNVs is joining efforts with CEPCU, a local NGO which has sought for the last six years to establish a framework of co-operation between the local authorities, community-based and international organisations and the Lake's inhabitants. Read

Bonn, Germany: A cooperation framework agreement to scale-up the activities of Cultural Heritage Volunteers was signed by Brenda Gael McSweeney, UNV-Executive Coordinator, and Federico Mayor, Director General of UNESCO. Read