Hanoi, Viet Nam: Learning English and Information Technology (IT) skills are on the agenda for a group of Vietnamese women participating in an employment training initiative launched today in the Viet Nam capital. Read

Women play a pivotal role in family and social cohesion and are engaged in a wide range of economic activities. Their voluntary and collective engagement in development constitutes a formidable force for social and economic transformation. The UN Volunteers (UNV) programme uses its outreach capacity and its proximity to volunteer-involving organizations and their networks to help tap the huge potential of women for development and social change. It further provides practical support to women’s groups in such areas as literacy, effective management, financial systems, micro-credit, and income generation. Read

Bonn, Germany: Achieving the universal primary education, promote gender equality and empower women, MDG 2 & 3. Read

Talfeet, Occupied Palestinian Territory: I am proud that our centres have created a real difference in people’s lives; they have influenced everyone who’s involved. The women’s election for example was something the women have never experienced before. Read

Monrovia, Liberia: Liberian women ensure that people are aware of what they have to say. Anyone driving towards central Monrovia from the main road leading to airport, cannot miss a huge billboard at the road junction reading ‘War Never Again, Peace Yes!’ This is the collective voice of thousands of Liberian women peace activists. Read

Bonn, Germany: The Pacific Sustainable Livelihoods Project has undertaken a new project called Fiji Retail Enterprise Engine or "FREE" craft shop which is a business incubator, the first of its kind in the Pacific. It provides an affordable retail option for artists working at home, while at the same time providing them the necessary business training and facilities to effectively grow their business. It is designed to support self-employed artists and crafts people, of which two-thirds are women. Read

Bonn, Germany: I joined the UN Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) as a UN Volunteer two years ago. One of my first and most memorable experiences was a helicopter flight over the beautiful terrain from Asmara, capital of Eritrea, to Adigrat, a small town in Ethiopia near the Eritrean border. Read

Bonn, Germany: The Experimental Center for the Development of the Small and Medium Rural Companies is a non-governmental organization (NGO), formed by indigenous and non –indigenous women and men, with the objective to improve the quality of life for rural families of the Western Highlands of Guatemala. Read

Bonn, Germany: While the global community honours International Women s Day on 8 March, interested eyes and ears focus on events in this war-torn country. Lars Narfeldt, UNV Programme Manager in Afghanistan says, "International Women's Day is a very important day, perhaps even more so in the context of Afghanistan. Pashtun women, for example, follow a tradition that does not support female participation in public life, while others support separate registration centers for women in every village, ... Read

Monrovia, Liberia: Being in West Africa for the first time excited me and more than that, working on something I enjoyed doing was even more exciting.As a UN Volunteer, I have had both good times and bad times. Read