United Nations (UN)’s International Volunteer Day for Economic and Social Development commonly known as International Volunteer Day (IVD) is annually observed across the globe on 5th December.
- It aims to promote volunteerism, encourage governments to support volunteer efforts and recognize their contributions to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
- This year, there is not a single theme, but the emphasis is on how volunteers contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals(SDG).
Background:
i.The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) adopted the resolution A/RES/40/212 on 17th December 1985 and proclaimed the 5th December of every year as International Volunteer Day for Economic and Social Development.
ii.In November 1997, UNGA passed a resolution A/RES/52/17 and proclaimed 2001 the International Year of Volunteers (IYV).
iii.The first ever International Volunteer Day for Economic and Social Development was observed on 5th December 1985.
United Nations Volunteers demonstrates its commitment to communities and the well-being of UN Volunteers across the globe through a social media campaign using the hashtag #IVD2024.
UN Volunteers Program 2024:
i.UN Volunteers programme hosted by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) achieved more than 13,000 on-site UN volunteers with over 70 UN entities and missions.
ii.A record of 10,000 online volunteers between 18 to 88 years served from 180 countries.
State of the World’s Volunteerism Report (SWVR):
i.SWVR is a flagship UN publication that strengthens understanding of volunteerism for peace and development.
ii.It is published every 3 years since 2011, the latest (4th edition) (SWVR 2022), titled Building Equal and Inclusive Societies shows how volunteers and state authorities interact for the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
iii.The 5th report will focus on the measurement of volunteering and will include the development of a Volunteer Index to be published in 2025.
Key Facts:
i.The monthly number of volunteers aged 15 years and over amounts to 862.4 million worldwide.
ii.Formal volunteers are mostly men, informal volunteers are more likely to be women.
About the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) Programme
The UNV (United Nations Volunteers) programme is an initiative by the United Nations that promotes peace and development across the globe by engaging volunteers in various activities
Executive Coordinator –Â Toily Kurbanov (Russian Federation)
Headquarters – Bonn, Germany
