Geneva, Switzerland: "It is an enormous privilege to address this 111th Inter Parliamentary Assembly for the first time as UNV Executive Coordinator. As focal point in the United Nations for volunteering, the UNV programme recognizes the importance of parliaments and parliamentarians in the national life of citizens and their critical role in promoting and supporting democratic processes. The full engagement of citizens in the life of societies is a vital part of well functioning democracies and volunteering down the ages has always proven to be a significant channel for such participation." Read

Barcelona, Spain: Speaking at a special forum of the 18th World Volunteer Conference promoted by the International Association for Volunteer Effort (IAVE), Mr. de Raad urged governments to seize volunteerism’s potential in helping to realize their commitments to the MDGs. Read

BONN: I very much appreciate the opportunity to exchange views and thoughts with you about the work of the UN Volunteers programme on the basis of the report that we present today covering the period 2002 to 2003. Read

Remarks by Ad de Raad, Executive Coordinator, a.i.,
United Nations Volunteers on the occasion of the World Summit on the Information Society Geneva, 10-12 December 2003 Read

Bonn, Germany: Every 5 December since 1985, people in countries around the world have celebrated volunteerism and recognized the crucial work of volunteer involving organizations and individual volunteers at local, national and international levels. Over the years, rallies, parades, community volunteering projects, environmental awareness, free medical care and speeches by high-ranking government officials have all featured prominently on International Volunteer Day (IVD). The largest celebration took place in 2001 at the close of the International Year of Volunteers (IYV) in over 100 countries. To many, that seemed to be the pinnacle. But don’t be deceived: volunteers of all ages, races and cultures, are still climbing. Read

From the perspective of the Programme that I represent, i.e. the United Nations Volunteers Programme, it will not surprise you that I will use this brief intervention to highlight the indispensible role that voluntary action and volunteers play in any strategy of disaster reduction, including early warning. Read

What I would like to do this morning, is to address the strong link that exists between the mobilization of social capital and volunteerism. I will do that by drawing on the work of the organization that I represent, the United Nations Volunteers, or UNV. UNV is a special United Nations programme that focuses on the promotion of volunteerism as a development concept, and the mobilization of volunteers. Read