Scouts around the world are joining hands together this week to strengthen global forces against the number one cause of death for young people, road accidents. Annually, over 1.2 million people die on roads in a cause that can easily be tackled with joined up action. The Second UN Global Road Safety Week (every five years) is taking place from 6 to 12 May 2013. On 6 and 7 May, 30 Rover Scouts and leaders from 14 countries came together for a series of events at the United Nations premises in Geneva on the invitation of Scouting Ireland, Scouts of Greece and the Greek-Hellenic Road Safety Institute ‘Panos Mylonas’. The events were supported and hosted by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE). 2011 to 2020 is also the ‘Decade of Action for Road Safety’ promoted by the United Nations.

The World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM) welcomes South Sudan as its latest member. The membership became official on 1 May 2013. The National Scout Organization, South Sudan Scout Association will be ceremonially welcomed at the 40th World Scout Conference in Slovenia (2014). World Scouting is one of the first global youth organisations to accept the full memebrship of South Sudan

A delegation of the World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM) headed by the Asia Pacific Regional Chairman Dr. Chao Shou-Po is visiting Yangon to strengthen the re-establishment of Scouting in Myanmar. It is nearly after five decades that a WOSM delegation is visiting Myanmar. The delegation had long discussions with the Ministry of Education led by the Deputy Minister His Excellency U Aye Kyu, who was a Scout himself and even attended the meeting in Scout uniform.

The newly formed National Scout Youth Council (NSYC) of the Scout Association of Maldives organized a blood donation camp to mark the National Thalassemia Day to promote and foster a culture of blood donation and encourage new donors to come forward. The event held on 4th May 2013 at the Central Blood Bank was in collaboration with the Maldivian Blood Services.

During the current visit of the regional team to Timor Leste, the team met with the Patron of the Scout Association and President of the Democratic Republic of Timor Leste His Excellency Taur Matan Ruak at his office together with the key leaders of the national scout organization, Uniao Nacional dos Escuteiros de Timor Leste (UNE-TL) from 7th to 10th May 2013, finding ways to strengthen the ongoing partnership being undertaken to keep Scouting in the country in progression.