More than 70 international and national UN Volunteers from different parts of Afghanistan will join the first Retreat of UN Volunteers on 09-10 June 2006 at the UNICEF Conference Room, UNOCA Compound,Kabul Jalalabad Road, Poole-charki, Kabul.

The event will be inaugurated by Ameerah Haq, UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative. The objectives of the retreat are to promote voluntarism, to review and advocate for the MDGs, to provide an opportunity for sharing of experiences among UN Volunteers and to discuss ways of bringing effective solutions to their problems.

Mr. Kofi Annan, Secretary-General of the United Nations is quoted as saying “At the heart of volunteerism are the ideals of service and solidarity and the belief that together we can make the world better. In that sense, we can say that volunteerism is the ultimate expressions of what the United Nations is all about”.

As part of the UN’s fifty years of involvement in Afghanistan, the United Nations Volunteers programme has been present in the country since 1989. Over this period, more than 1,000 International, National and TOKTEN UN Volunteers have contributed to the reconstruction and development of Afghanistan by supporting relief, humanitarian and capacity building programs as part of different UN Agencies.

The private sector players have expressed their support to Voluntarism in Afghanistan through AWCC and R&A sponsorship. Representatives from all media are invited to the inaugural session on June 9, 2006 at 09.00 at the UNOCA compound.

For further information on the United Nations Volunteers Retreat (9-10 June 2006) please contact:

Monica Exelrud Villarindo UNV Programme Officer (UNDP) Kabul, Afghanistan: Mob: +93 70 282 520

Velayutham Gopal OIC/ UNV Programme Manager UNOCA Compound Kabul, Afghanistan: Mob: +93 0799205863