The United Nations(UN)’s International Volunteer Day for Economic and Social Development, which is commonly referred to as the International Volunteer Day(IVD) is annually observed across the globe on 5th December to create awareness about the important contribution of volunteer service and encourage more people to offer their service as volunteers.
The day is marked and supported by the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme.
The theme of International Volunteer Day 2021 is “Volunteer now for our common future”.
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.The first ever International Volunteer Day for Economic and Social Development was observed on 5th December 1986.
Campaign 2021:
The theme of 2021 campaign is “Volunteer now for our common future”.
State of the World’s Volunteerism Report (SWVR) 2022:
State of the World’s Volunteerism Report (SWVR) 2022 titled “Building Equal and Inclusive Societies” is the 4th edition of the SWVR, a flagship UN publication Produced every three years.
Key findings of the report:
- Volunteerism can promote a culture of collaborative decision-making
- Volunteerism can alter unequal power relations
- Volunteerism offers diverse pathways to civic participation but remains unequal.
- Volunteers build bridges.
i.SWVR aims to increase the understanding of volunteerism and shows its universality, scope and reach in the 21st century. The UNV released the first report in 2011.
ii.The SWVR examines the contribution of volunteerism to peace and development based on a specific theme.
About United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme:
Executive Coordinator– Toily Kurbanov (Russian Federation)
Headquarters– Bonn, Germany
