In the context of Rio+20, the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme has launched a public participation campaign entitled "Volunteering for the Future We Want" on UNV China’s Sina and Tecent Weibos on 25 June 2012. Weibo is technically the Chinese translation for microblog. Sina Weibo is similar to a hybrid of Twitter and Facebook, and it is one of the most popular sites in China. Tencent Weibo is also a microblogging site where users may broadcast a message of up to 140 Chinese characters through the web, SMS or smartphone.

Inspired by millions of volunteers acting for sustainable development around the world, UNV at Rio+20 is calling on decision-makers to recognize the importance of volunteering and civic engagement for the future of our planet. UN and other global leaders have repeatedly highlighted the need for the engagement of volunteers and communities to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and sustainable development. A strong people-centred approach to development through voluntary action is already happening in the field, integrating social, economic and environmental transformation.

UN Online Volunteers Hazel Alfon (Philippines) and Riddhima A. Mehta (India) provide support to the first African Regional Conference on Women Access to Trade and Finance . The African conference is being organized by the Alliance for African Women Initiative (AFAWI), a non-governmental organization based in Ghana.

Stefanie Franke (Germany) is a former UN Volunteer with the United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) Return, Reintegration and Recovery (RRR) unit.  She was seconded to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) where she worked with the Sudan Information Campaign for Returnees (SICR).

Julie Lillejord (Norway) is a former UN Volunteer with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).  She currently works as a Gender Policy Junior Professional Officer (JPO) with the Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA).  

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.