Islamabad, Pakistan: President Asif Ali Zardari said volunteerism has the power to promote peace, harmony and development not only in Pakistan but around the world. In a message on the International Volunteers Day falling on 5 December, he said let us recognize the power of volunteerism which can augment peace and harmony in the world.
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Seoul, South Korea: Nowadays, it’s no exaggeration to emphasize the significance of volunteer service. The volunteer sector plays an important role at the national level as an axis of the “new governance,” together with the government and business corporations, because it functions not only as a social safety net but also as a catalyst for national integration.  Visit site

Hong Kong, China: Speaking at a panel discussion at the Clinton Global Initiative Asia conference, the 45-year-old action film star said volunteerism and charity are rare in China but are now on the rise as the country becomes more prosperous after two decades of capitalist-style economic reforms.  Read article

Auckland, New Zealand: Karen Roberts, National Manager of Volunteering, says IHC is putting its focus on youth over the next year. She says young people with intellectual disabilities want to be like every other young person. In the meantime, though, all the work of its hundreds of volunteers is to be acknowledged with special events on 5 December, International Volunteer Day.

See also the New Zealand IVD blog: http://ivd2008.blogspot.com/

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Companies large and small have been making cutbacks due to poor earnings, but that's not putting an end to the charitable work that nonprofit organizations have come to expect from them.  Visit site

Throughout the month, UPS employees participated in the company's Global Volunteer Month, giving their time, talents and hands-on support to charitable organizations in their local communities.  Visit site

Ong Chee Siang spends many sleepless nights mentoring young environmentalists, educating people about climate change and organising green events. He is part of a growing number of National Environment Agency (NEA) volunteers who promote recycling, help residents improve energy efficiency, and educate Singaporeans about climate change.   Visit site

High anxiety may be gripping the corporate world these days, but for the managers, supervisors and employees of some of the Philippines’s leading companies, volunteer work knows no crisis. Thirty-two corporations sent a record number of participants on Saturday to Servathon 2008, a 3-year-old community service program.  Visit site

Winning awards was the furthest thing from Shirley Snowden's mind when she began organizing aid to women and children in Ghana eight years ago. The work was just an extension of a life given to serving her community. Others noticed her efforts however, and on Monday she will receive a leadership award at the United Nations.  Visit site

Forty years ago they were a group of young women traveling into the mountains of Afghanistan. They were volunteers bringing small pox vaccine, and their job was to vaccinate everyone — infants, old people, women, men. From their sheltered lives in the United States, they thrust themselves into one of the poorest places on earth. Decades later the United Nations declared small pox had been eradicated around the world.  Visit site