International Volunteer Day 2014
INTERNATIONAL VOLUNTEER DAY 2014
Make change happen - Volunteer!
A Message from IAVE's World President and Executive Director
Kylee Bates & Kathi Dennis
Greeting friends, colleagues, volunteers,
When International Volunteer Day was established on 17 December 1985 by the United Nations the resolution recognised the role of volunteer services in ‘…making an important contribution to socio-economic development activities’ and ‘the desirability of stimulating the work of all volunteers both in the field and in organisations …and of giving encouragement to those volunteers, many of whom engage in volunteer service at considerable personal sacrifice’ and governments and other stakeholders were invited to observe annually, on 5 December, the work of volunteers.
Nearly 30 years later that contribution to development continues to be significant and the desirability of encouraging and promoting the work of all volunteers remains strong.
To mark International Volunteer Day this year, IAVE highlights the critical role that volunteers will play in helping to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals that nations are poised to sign onto in 2015. IAVE, together with partner organisations, will continue to advocate that volunteering must be recognised as a strategic asset that is critical to the achievement of the Post-2015 Development Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals.
You, together with the rest of the estimated 1 billion volunteers in the world, deserve to have your contribution acknowledged and celebrated.
The Universal Declaration on Volunteering adopted by IAVE in 2001 continues to inspire and drive us and on International Volunteer Day it is worth reminding ourselves of its opening words:
"Volunteering is a fundamental building block of civil society. It brings to life the noblest aspiration of humankind – the pursuit of peace, freedom, opportunity, safety and justice for all people.”
Wherever you are in the world, whatever the volunteer work you do or support, and however you celebrate International Volunteer Day, on behalf of IAVE we say thank you for the blocks you build, the aspirations you pursue and the change you make.