World Volunteer Day!

Today is World Volunteer Day!

The International Volunteer Day for Economic and Social Development (IVD) was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 17 December 1985. Since then, governments, the UN system and civil society organizations have successfully joined volunteers around the world to celebrate the Day on 5 December.

IVD offers an opportunity for volunteer organizations and individual volunteers to make visible their contributions – at local, national and international levels.

However, volunteers continue to work on a daily basis to make our lives better.  While newspapers may turn their attention elsewhere and sound bites may fade away, the work of volunteers goes on with or without publicity and well-deserved recognition.

Today, take a few minutes to tell a volunteer “Thank You for making a difference”. It means a lot to a person to know she is appreciated for the work she does – especially when the work is unpaid!

In addition, encouraging more people to volunteer is a 365-days-a-year task. Volunteering is an important way to develop societies and improve our lives. To learn more about IVD, click on World Volunteer Web.