Everyone can and is strongly encouraged to participate in this global effort and contribute with a photograph. All photographs should fit into one of the campaign’s fourteen different thematic areas related to the Millennium Development Goals.

Some of the key outcomes of the campaign will include a photography gallery to be permanently displayed prominently at the IPC-IG office and open for public viewing; a series of photography exhibitions in several cities around the world; and a photog more...

'Agriculture has experienced serious problems in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) since 1990. Outputs and/or yields declined for most crops and in most countries during the 1990s. In addition, agriculture has not by itself addressed the consumptive interests of rural areas, such as recreation and nature conservation. As a result, agriculture has not been an engine of rural development, contributing instead to the concentration of poverty in rural more...

'This page is dedicated to journalists who were assassinated in the exercise of their profession. It remembers their contribution to freedom of expression, democracy and peace.'
Source: UNESCO

President Obama’s January 21 open government memorandum calls for transparency, participation and collaboration in government. These three concepts have been underlying American democracy since the start, but never have they been so central to a presidential vision. With advanced technologies and creative use of the Internet, a commitment to open government will go a long way toward giving the public control of the levers of power, and encouraging widespread participation in the civic life of more...

This is the first in a series of major reports by the InterAmerican Development Bank:

'The study reveals that the evaluation Latin American and Caribbean citizens make of their own well-being and of their countries does not depend on income alone, but that a host of factors influence their perceptions on quality of life. The study’s conclusions are based on the results of the Gallup World Poll. These results include the opinions of more than 40,000 people in 24 Latin American and the Caribb more...

Platform2 is an Internet platform created for the UK's Department for International Development (DfID. It is to provide 18-25 year olds from the UK with opportunities to volunteer in developing countries and then to come back and describe their experiences. The program, funded by the UK, supports relatively short term volunteer experiences. The website illustrates an innovative use of Internet technology to promote international development.

'Studies have shown that youth who volunteer are more apt to be actively engaged in their communities as adults. According to an Outcomes Measurement Study conducted by Brandeis University of the IYF-Nokia supported volunteer programs, 72 percent of par¬ticipating youth continued their involvement in volunteer projects after completing the program, with a significant percentage of youth reporting improved performance in school.
Captured here are the experiences of IYF partners in Argentina, Be more...

'World Alliance for Citizen Participation, the International Association for Volunteer Effort (IAVE) and the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme undertook a study in 2007/8 to explore the role of both volunteering and social activism in development. The study involved contributions from all three organisations and drew on inputs from nearly 100 volunteer-involving organisations across 54 countries in all regions across the globe.

The paper explores how both volunteering and social activ more...

'This monograph analyzes the role of civil society in the massive political mobilization and upheavals of 2006 in Nepal that swept away King Gyanendra's direct rule and dramatically altered the structure and character of the Nepali state and politics. Although the opposition had become successful due to a strategic alliance between the seven parliamentary parties and the Maoist rebels, civil society was catapulted into prominence during the historic protests as a result of national and internati more...

'Landmine action is a key component of sustainable development. Not only does ‘contaminated’ terrain present obvious physical dangers but it disables communities by deterring IDP and refugee-return; limits access to health care, education and other basic social services; and crucially prevents the use of core resources vital to sustainable livelihoods (such as water sources, land used for agriculture and housing/resettlement).

This document is a guide for humanitarian and development NGO more...