03 December 2009

Monrovia, Liberia: With the planet under serious threat, how can we bring the values of volunteerism to bear in tackling climate change? This was the topic in a dynamic school debating contest, organized by UNV in the run-up to International Volunteer Day.

UNV Executive Coordinator Flavia Pansieri arrived in Liberia this week to attend a series of events to mark 'Volunteering for our Planet', the UNV theme for International Volunteer Day on 5 December. The debate series will be followed by a youth parliament, an awareness-raising march and a major clean-up of the beach in Monrovia.

Ms. Pansieri's first appointment in Liberia was with President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Africa's first female head of state, with whom she discussed the 'Volunteering for our Planet' campaign and the impact of volunteers in the development of Liberia.

In her opening remarks to the school debate held at the University of Liberia the same day, Ms. Pansieri told the assembled students that citizens like them had a key role in conveying to governments the importance of climate change.

She pointed out that the environmental movement had begun with the actions of volunteers. "It was they who realized we have to raise awareness of the fact that we are endangering our planet, endangering our lives and the lives of future generations," she said. "We have to do something, we have to impress on authorities how important it is to put policies in place and to make the necessary funding available."

Noting that the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen was just days away, Ms. Pansieri said: "Just like a picture is worth a thousand words, an action is worth a thousand statements."

"Our campaign 'Volunteering for our Planet' shows that each of us is aware, concerned, committed, and wants to make a difference," she remarked, stressing that tackling the challenge of climate change required the commitment of all, and particularly the younger generation. This high school debate and others like it, she added, would send an important message to the leaders at Copenhagen that together we can protect the planet.

The Muslims Congress and Amos Taybior high schools, the top teams from a pool of eight entrants, then launched into a lively and sometimes heated discussion about how best to harness the spirit of volunteerism when confronting global warming.

Ms. Pansieri presented medals to the winning team from Amos Taybior, before heading to the headquarters of the United Nations Mission in Liberia where she met with UNV volunteers working across the UN agencies in the country.

"You are the life and spirit of UNV," she told them. "I make sure I'm in the field for International Volunteer Day, but I can only be in one country at a time. 'Volunteering for our Planet', however, is a way to bring all 8,000 UNV volunteers together in one common purpose."