"In developing the Web as a volunteer, I was not alone. The Web was developed by volunteers all over the world."
Tim Berners-Lee, the British scientist credited for inventing the World Wide Web in 1989.

"Our partnership with such a prestigious body as the United Nations has taught us that there are many ways of being a volunteer. Our aim is to give greater visibility to a multi-faceted reality which many people underestimate or of which they are often totally unaware."
Luciano Benetton, Chairman of the Benetton Group

In its role as focal point for the International Year of Volunteers, UNV has advocated for pro-volunteer policies through its publications as well as through active deliberations with government officials, academics, volunteer leaders and volunteers from all over the world.

IYV 2001 has provided an excellent framework for governments to consider individually, and through the United Nations, the essential contribution of volunteering to social and economic development. Until 2001 volunteering was accepted as a "good thing" that people did for one another. In most countries, however, little attention was given to the steps that governments or UN organizations could take to further promote it.

These steps were outlined in key inter-governmental legislation discussed at the 56th session of the UN General Assembly held on 5 December 2001 and adopted with the co-sponsorship of 126 Member States in a resolution (A/RES/56/38). This resolution recognized the valuable contribution of volunteering in its many and diverse forms as well as its importance as part of any strategy to reduce poverty and to overcome social exclusion.

Particularly significant was the acceptance of the "need to approach voluntary activities strategically as a means of enhancing resources, addressing global issues and improving the quality of life for everyone". Thus, in the wake of IYV, governments and UN system organizations are being called on to consider how they can further enhance the environment for volunteering.

The impact of this legislation will depend not only on measures that are adopted, but also on how all sectors of society work together to ensure that the potential of volunteerism is fully realized.

IYV in Numbers

• Constituents/stakeholders registered on the IYV web site: 21,782
• National IYV Committees: 125
• IYV City/Local/Regional/State Committees: 103
• National IYV web sites: 51
• IYV songs: 29
• IYV stamps: 14
• UN resolutions: 6
• Eminent Persons: 4
• H.R.H. Prince of Asturias, D. Felipe de Borbón of Spain;
• Jerry John Rawlings, former president of Ghana;
• Dr. Nafis Sadik, Special Adviser to the United Nations Secretary-General;
• Ms. Anita Roddick, co-founder of the Body Shop and advocate of corporate volunteerism.
• Inter-Governmental Resolutions: 3 (Council of Europe, European Union and Inter-Parliamentary Union)

On 5 December 2001, the following 126 UN Member States co-sponsored General Assembly resolution (A/RES/56/38), "Recommendations on support for volunteering", which was adopted without a vote: Albania, Andorra, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Canada, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Chile, China, Comoros, Costa Rica, Colombia, Côte d'Ivoire, Congo, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Guinea, Guyana, Haiti, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lesotho, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malta, Malaysia, Marshall Islands, Mexico, Monaco, Mongolia, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Rwanda, Saint Lucia, San Marino, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Sudan, Swaziland, Sweden, Somalia, South Africa, Spain, Suriname, Tajikistan, Thailand, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Tanzania, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Uruguay, United States of America, Yugoslavia, Zambia and Zimbabwe.