Nairobi, Kenya: The transition from the year 2015 to the year 2016 marked a remarkable moment in environmental governance for sustainable development globally. The world gained a set of universally agreed development goals, a financing for development agreement, and even more critical for the global environment, the Paris climate change agreement that finally promised to cap global warming to below 2 degrees Celsius.

With over 4,000 participants, the 11th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM11), held July 15-16 2016, was the largest diplomatic gathering to come to Mongolia to date. In addition to the main international summit, there were nine preceding meetings. Some 1,200 young men and women assisted these events as youth volunteers, garnering much recognition for their great work. The President of Mongolia commended them for being the first-ever and the biggest youth volunteer group in Mongolia. Each and every volunteer was given a certificate of appreciation.

With over 4,000 participants, the 11th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM11), held July 15-16 2016, was the largest diplomatic gathering to come to Mongolia to date. In addition to the main international summit, there were nine preceding meetings. Some 1,200 young men and women assisted these events as youth volunteers, garnering much recognition for their great work. The President of Mongolia commended them for being the first-ever and the biggest youth volunteer group in Mongolia. Each and every volunteer was given a certificate of appreciation.

On 28 June 2016, the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme concluded a partnership agreement with Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. UNV has long been engaging with different private sector partnerships, even before the launch of the UN Global Compact in 2000. UNV placed over 200 volunteers from the private sector for short-term assignments to support such diverse areas as food industry and environmental assessments.

On 28 June 2016, the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme concluded a partnership agreement with Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. UNV has long been engaging with different private sector partnerships, even before the launch of the UN Global Compact in 2000. UNV placed over 200 volunteers from the private sector for short-term assignments to support such diverse areas as food industry and environmental assessments.

The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme and the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), both members of the "Forum for Volunteering in Development" (Forum), will jointly host the 2016 International Volunteering Cooperation Organizations (IVCO 2016) conference in Bonn. About 200 participants are expected to join the three-day event will take place from October 9-12th and focus on the theme Increasing Resilience of Communities Through Volunteering.

The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme and the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), both members of the "Forum for Volunteering in Development" (Forum), will jointly host the 2016 International Volunteering Cooperation Organizations (IVCO 2016) conference in Bonn. About 200 participants are expected to join the three-day event will take place from October 9-12th and focus on the theme Increasing Resilience of Communities Through Volunteering.

A fully redesigned website for our Online Volunteering service was launched on July 15, 2016. Music: Purple planet (https://www.purple-planet.com/).

Istanbul, Turkey:  To inform the future of humanitarian action, the UN Secretary General convened the World Humanitarian Summit on 23 and 24 May 2016 in Istanbul, Turkey. In attendance at the summit were representatives of 173 UN member states, heads of states and governments, private sector, NGOs, and civil society organizations representatives.

On 15 July, UNV will be launching its new Online Volunteering service from Brazil and in collaboration with the United Nations country team and the Samsung Latin American Office. Brazil has been selected as the location for the global launch as the country ranks #4 worldwide for the number of UN Online Volunteers and has a high potential for growth in online volunteering activities in general.