San Vicente, El Salvador: Five international UN Volunteers from Brazil are in El Salvador working on disaster risk reduction and food security, as part of a South-South cooperation project between the Government of Brazil and the Government of El Salvador, in collaboration with UNV. Read

After the Libya crisis broke, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) relied on the service of hundreds of online volunteers who created and maintained a virtual map that showed live information about events in the country. The Libya Crisis Map provided relief organizations with information on health needs, security threats or refugee movements to help them plan their humanitarian response. Read

Japan has a long tradition of strong support for the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme and volunteering, in general.

Last week, UNV Executive Coordinator Flavia Pansieri visited the earthquake and tsunami stricken town of Minami Sanriku cho and spoke at the opening of the 20th Japanese National Volunteer Festival Tokyo.  She offered her deepest sympathies to the people of Japan and expressed her great admiration for the millions who are engaged as volunteers throughout the country. Read

Bonn, Germany: Whenever our televisions show distressing scenes of war, famine or disaster, inevitably we ask ourselves: “What can we do to help?” It’s the kind of question that makes us human, and many people do go the extra mile and act. Chances are that these men and women make change happen through their own free will, and without expectation of reward. Chances are that these people are volunteers. Read

Bonn, Germany: On 12 January 2010, at 16:53:09 local time, an earthquake of a magnitude of 7.0 on the Richter scale struck Haiti affecting 3 million people. One year later, the people of Haiti are holding a series of events throughout the month of January to commemorate the anniversary of the 2010 earthquake. Read