5 December: International Volunteer Day

05 Dec 2013

In 1985, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed the 5 December as International Volunteer Day, encouraging member states to adopt measures to raise awareness about the important contribution of volunteers, and in doing so, encourage more people to offer their services in a selfless way, and contribute to the Millennium Development Goals.

The International Volunteer day, proclaimed in 1985 by the UN’s General Assembly and celebrated on 5December, offers an opportunity to pay special tribute to the contribution of youth volunteers in global peace and sustainable human development. Its main objective is to recognise their work and the organisations that support it, and inform society of the impact voluntary work has on world peace and sustainable development. Furthermore, it offers an opportunity for volunteer organizations and individual volunteers to make visible their contributions - at local, national and international levels - to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.

This year’s theme is “YOUNG.GLOBAL.ACTIVE,” in recognition of the role that young people play as agents of change in their communities. “Volunteerism is a two-way street. Even as volunteers help generate positive change for others, their own lives are often transformed by the act of volunteering itself,” explains the UN’s General Secretary, Ban Ki-moon.

Apart from mobilising thousands of volunteers every year, the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme works closely with partners and governments to establish national volunteer programmes to create structures that foster and sustain local volunteerism in countries.Through the Online Volunteering service volunteers can take action for sustainable human development by supporting the activities of development organizations over the Internet. Every day thousands of people are volunteering, online or on-site, contributing to peace and development and working to achieve the Millennium Development Goals.

Diagrama Foundation supports and defends the work done by volunteers at a local and national level, as well as internationally, and ensures that everyone can participate in Diagrama’s projects and programmes. For this reason, we encourage those who are interested in volunteering to get in touch with us to find out about volunteering opportunities.

For more information, please visit the UN’s website, International Volunteers Day and the UN’s Online Volunteering programme.