India is yet to formulate legal framework and still many voluntary organizations in the country and hundreds in the north east have been receiving foreign aids, most of the time directly from the donors. Thus, in the absence of a clear legal definition of what constitutes voluntary work and a volunteer, some laws and regulations can inadvertently have an impact on voluntary action.   Read article

In years past, celebrities worked with charities as basic spokespeople, simply showing up to sound studios to record public service announcements, or giving large donations to disaster relief agencies by signing checks from their living rooms.  Read article

In the run up to the US presidential elections next year, opinion writer Ross Mackenzie questions what kind of civic engagement or volunteering scheme candidates will support.

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Israel: New poll reveals that Israelis devoted over 400 million hours to volunteer work in 2006. Finally, a reason to be optimistic? A new survey presented Wednesday at a meeting of the Lobby for the Advancement of the Third Sector in Israel, held on International Volunteer Day, reveals that during 2006, Israelis volunteered over 400 million hours of their time to volunteer activities.  Read article

Justin Davis Smith, Acting Chief Executive of Volunteering England, said: “Volunteering England welcomes the opportunity to recognise volunteers across the world this UN International Day of the Volunteer. Volunteering is a powerful force for change in society and we are proud to be part of a global movement to enable more people to experience the benefits of volunteering, both to themselves and their communities.  Read article

Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan: The UN Volunteers programme, in partnership with a wide range of national and international volunteer involving organizations, is organizing a "V-Forum" to discuss and develop recommendations on the current and future role of volunteers in the development of the Kyrgyz Republic.  Read article

Hong Kong, China: Nearly 700,000 registered volunteers and more than 1,700 registered organizations have committed to volunteering since 1998 in Hong Kong, a city with a population of around 7,000,000, the wife of Hong Kong Chief Executive Selina Tsang said on Saturday.  Read article

Fears of being falsely accused of harming children is the major factor preventing Scots from volunteering, and while 69% of adults consider working with children, only 5% actually do, a report claims today. Concerns over the culture of litigation is also a factor when it comes to working or volunteering with young people, a survey by Scotland's Commissioner for Children and Young People (SCCYP) found. In the poll carried out for the commissioner, 48% of adults said concern about being falsely accused of harming young people is the number one obstacle to becoming a volunteer.  Read article

Berlin, Germany: Germany launched yesterday a government-funded program aimed at encouraging up to 10,000 young people a year to work as volunteers in developing countries.  Read article

The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Dermot Ahern TD, and the Minister of State for Overseas Development, Mr Michael Kitt TD met today with volunteer members of Ireland's Rapid Response Corps – recently established to provide a pool of seasoned technical experts to be deployed in humanitarian emergencies.   Read article