Bonn, Germanny: On 8 April 1993, exactly 20 years ago today, Atsuhito Nakata (Atsu), a Japanese UN Volunteer working as a District Electoral Supervisor with the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC), was killed in a tragic ambush along with his Khmer interpreter, Lek Sophiep, in the province of Kampong Thom. He was 25 years old.

Atsu was one of 465 UN Volunteers District Electoral Supervisors deployed in Cambodia with UNTAC in 1992. Alongside 50,000 Cambodian nationals, they were at the forefront of the first national elections organized in the country. They worked and lived with local communities, helped organize electoral processes at community level, and carried out massive campaigns to inform the Cambodian population about elections and democratic principles. Read

Bonn, Germany: H.E. Mr. Takeshi Nakane, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Federal Republic of Germany from Japan made an official visit to Richard Dictus, Executive Coordinator of the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme. Read

Shire, Ethiopia: "I was given full responsibility as a team member in the field office, strengthening my capacity to work on refugee issues. Through working with UNHCR as a UN Volunteer, I realized that being a volunteer does not mean having less responsibility, or having people expect less from you. We are all expected to be professional humanitarian workers regardless of our status, and I believe that is very important." Read

Indonesia: “I was very lucky because my UNV position allowed me to work at a very grassroots level. It was a completely life-changing and formative experience and formed the way I approached development work. I learned that everything has to be grounded in local culture, in local knowledge.” 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