Thanks to UN Online Volunteer Dominique MacNeill from France, the website of the Gender-Based Violence Information System (GBVIMS) (www.gbvims.org) is now available in French. The GBVIMS is an inter-agency partnership of various UN agencies and the International Rescue Committee (IRC) and enables humanitarian actors responding to incidents of gender-based violence to effectively and safely collect, store, analyze and share data reported by GBV survivors.

On 26 February 2012, UN News reported that upon concluding his first visit to Zambia, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon said he left the country convinced that it has a bright future, especially because of the commitment of the younger generation to democratic principles, human rights and education. “In Livingstone, I had a very impressive and inspiring meeting with young girl students and boy students,” Mr. Ban told reporters at the airport before leaving Zambia for Angola.

5 December is International Volunteer Day. The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme today announced the winners of the "Online Volunteering Award 2011". Every year, more than 10,000 online volunteers engage in the work of non-profit development organizations through UNV’s Online Volunteering service. The award honours the contributions of these volunteers who work entirely over the Internet to contribute to peace and development and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

The German Foreign Minister, Mr Guido Westerwelle, visited the UN campus in Bonn today.  He was welcomed by the Chair of the Consultative Forum of the Heads of UN Agencies in Germany, Ms Flavia Pansieri, together with the heads of the United Nations agencies in Bonn.  The Minister asserted the commitment of Germany to the UN agencies in Bonn and their work on sustainable development. He also discussed the support Germany was giving to enhance the UN campus facilities as the UN presence in Bonn continues to grow.

In addition to the 8,000 UN Volunteers that the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme mobilizes every year, around 10,000 UN online volunteers provide their support over the Internet to organizations working on the ground.  Via UNV’s Online Volunteering service, they carry out assignments for organizations to help developing countries eradicate poverty and achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).  They support democratic governance, crisis prevention and recovery, and promote environmentally sustainable development.

The United Nations Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in China, Renata Lok-Dessallien, celebrated the launch of the China Volunteers Association (CVA) at the Great Hall of People on 26 April 2011. This inclusive volunteer association aims to foster and promote the culture of volunteerism for social development and solidarity.

UNV Executive Coordinator Flavia Pansieri attended the UNDP/UNFPA Executive Board in June 2011 in New York. She emphasized the need to acknowledge volunteerism in various ways, “in particular not as an afterthought, but as an intentional component of programmes designed to promote national ownership and the development of national capacities,” she said.

A UN backed study has found that enormous potential exists in the region for bettering people’s lives through volunteering. On Tuesday, March 29th, Mr. Ghulam M. Isaczai, Chief of UNV’s Development Division, and Ms. Mavsuma Muinova, Deputy Head of the State Committee on Youth, Sport and Tourism of the Republic of Tajikistan jointly launched the report at a ceremony held in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. Mr.

International Volunteer Day (IVD) 2010 was celebrated all over India with a variety of interesting, informative and impressive activities. National essay and slogan writing competition A national essay and slogan writing competition was organized to spread greater awareness of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and inspire and involve more people to join the movement towards achieving the MDGs by 2015.

A famous Arab proverb states, "The 1,000 miles walk starts with one step." In the case of southern Morocco, local communities of the Iguiouaz oases and UN Volunteers have been making progressive strides in adapting to climate change to protect their environment. The population of this region relies mostly on farming, arboriculture and livestock farming, but fertile land is scarce when rain is infrequent. To address this situation, 600 community members have mobilized to strengthen the ecosystem's resilience to climate change and increase the adaptive capacities of the communities.