The United Nations Volunteers programme has received prominent support. At UNV headquarters in Bonn, German tennis star Michael Stich and his wife, actress Jessica Stockmann, signed 1-Euro-a-year contracts to take up their assignments as the first Honorary UN Volunteers to launch the International Year of Volunteers 2001. Michael Stich's tennis career included the single titles in Wimbledon and the ATP Tour World Championship; he led Germany to victory in the Davis Cup and won the doubles Gold Medal at the Barcelona Olympics with Boris Becker. With doubles partner John McEnroe he won the finals in Wimbledon.

The newly-appointed Honorary UNVs and the UNV programme and will together seek to raise awareness on the issue of HIV/AIDS, an issue of particular concern to UNV as well as to Mr. Stich and Ms Stockmann. UNVs are currently working to fight the pandemic in ten countries in Africa, Asia and the CIS. Michael Stich and Jessica Stockmann established the Michael Stich Foundation for HIV/AIDS affected children in 1994 and have since been actively involved in rendering assistance to such children and their families. In the wider context of the preparations for the International Year of Volunteers 2001, the Honorary UNVs will also draw public attention to the significant contribution that volunteers make to their societies. "When we started to think about wining the support of prominent personalities, we did not just look for celebrity", said UNV Executive Co-ordinator Sharon Capeling-Alakija in her welcome address to the new Honorary UNVs. "Being the UNV programme, we were also looking for volunteers. We wished for celebrity committed to a cause, for people who would appropriately represent the sense of service and solidarity reflected in the work of the many volunteers actively sharing their time and talent around the world. With the creation of the Michael-Stich Foundation you are addressing one of today's most pressing problems. We consider ourselves lucky to have such a knowledgeable team on board to raise awareness on this critical issue."

On their first mission , Michael Stich and Jessica Stockmann will travel to Zimbabwe. The country has been ravaged by HIV/AIDS - 130,000 people died in 1997 alone. As elsewhere, the pandemic is still not always openly acknowledged. People who carry the virus are stigmatised and face social exclusion. Visibility is therefore badly needed. As UNV's Executive Co-ordinator put it, "We aim to put HIV/AIDS on the front page".