Bonn, Germany: Year after year, the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme continues to demonstrate its value as a true partner in development - with UNDP, within the UN system at large, with governments and with civil society organizations worldwide. And 2002 was no exception. In fact, it was another year of growth for the organization. A record 5,234 UN Volunteers took up assignments ranging from building computer networks in rural Bhutan to sharing key human rights messages with indigenous communities in the jungles of Bolivia. Read
More about: Peace & conflict resolution
Other languages: en français
Bonn, Germany: The year 2002 saw the birth of a nation and the climax of the largest operation in UNV’s 31-year history – both in Timor-Leste (formerly East Timor). UNV’s engagement in the former Portuguese colony began just prior to a UN-organized ballot held on 30 August 1999, at which time the vast majority of East Timorese voted for independence from Indonesia. Read
Bringing relief
Bonn, Germany: Travelling from Afghanistan's provincial capital of Herat towards the border with Iran, internally displaced persons (IDPs) are greeted by piles of rubble where family homes once stood - stark reminders of how difficult it is to start all over again in a country devastated by war. Read
Starting over
Bonn, Germany: Peace accords brought an end to a decade of armed conflict in Niger in the late 1990s. For many ex-combatants, returning to civilian life was daunting. With the help of 12 UN Volunteers, however, 660 former ethnic Arab, Fulani and Toubou fighters have rediscovered their vocations. Benefiting from 95 small ventures under the N'Guigmi Peace Project in south-eastern Niger, they are earning an income and reintegrating into society. Read
Setting up shop
Bonn, Germany: Like an infant, a business needs nurturing for a healthy, safe start. And at the Sodbi Business Incubator in Shymkent, Kazakhstan, fledgling entrepreneurs learn everything they always wanted to know about setting up shop. Read
Tapping volunteer creativity
BONN: UNV's Annual Report 2002, "Weaving the Web", is all about how UN Volunteers do more than the obvious. In Bangladesh and Mozambique, UNV teams train people to weave baskets and tapestries in order to make a living - sustainable initiatives combining culture, artistry and microcredit to fight poverty. But UNV's involvement with people also takes another track, away from hands, reed and yarn. Read
Other languages: en français
BONN:
BONN: Key financial statistics for 2002.
Read
Other languages: en français
Bonn, Germany: In the Caribbean, most young people have enough to eat and a bed to sleep on. Over 85 per cent attend primary school and many continue on to secondary school and beyond. Survival is not the issue, but making the right choices in life is. Growing up amidst increasing domestic violence, high rates of teenage pregnancy, HIV/AIDS and drug abuse, it is often difficult to know where to turn. Read
Strengthening community ties
BONN: In Esmeraldas, Ecuador, city development and political will flow together to inspire voluntary action in communities. Esmeraldas, a medium-sized coastal city of 95,000, has an active volunteer movement and a highly motivated mayor, Ernesto Estupinan. Read
Logging on
Bonn, Germany: Whether hosting his show on national television or knocking on doors of potential partners, Claude Ntanta is a visible advocate for the emerging online generation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Exposing women's groups and students to the power of information systems, Claude is helping the war-torn country step into the digital age. Read
More about: ICT
Other languages: en français
Bonn, Germany: Working with local volunteers in the Andean and Amazon regions, Jose Carlo Burga, a Peruvian UNVolunteer, has sparked renewed interest in local culture and human rights. Young indigenous volunteers, who rarely communicate in their mother tongues in this Spanishspeaking society, found themselves working closely with village elders, rediscovering the value of their language and gaining an understanding of their rights. With UNDP's assistance, they translated the Universal Declaration of Human Rights into eight indigenous languages. Read
