20 July 2005

Bonn, Germany: Volunteering for the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) reached new heights in 2004 as the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme increased efforts to engage more people in activities framed around the global campaign to end extreme poverty within the next decade.

According to Gaining Ground, the title of the UNV 2004/2005 annual report, 2004 was UNV’s seventh consecutive year of growth with 7,300 women and men – representing 163 nationalities – serving in 139 countries. The largest concentration of UN Volunteers was in Africa (3,050), where 63 per cent of the volunteers were themselves African. The number of UN Volunteers from developing countries or economies in transition reached 5,617 or 77 per cent – a strong indicator of South-South cooperation.

Carrying out 7,772 assignments, the UN Volunteers were engaged in a spectrum of activities such as eradicating extreme poverty, achieving universal education, combating HIV/AIDS, and promoting gender equality. Peacekeeping, good governance, elections support and humanitarian assistance equally constituted a major component of the programme’s activities.

Additionally, thousands of online volunteers (making their skills available through UNV’s Internet-based Online Volunteering service, university graduates, private sector employees, and retirees participated in MDG-focused initiatives.

In promoting volunteering for the MDGs and strengthening the capacity of governments to engage its citizens in volunteer activities, UNV forged alliances in 2004 with international bodies, academia and other volunteer involving organizations to further promote and facilitate voluntary action. Assistance was also extended to support governments in creating volunteer legislation and establishing national volunteer centres. At several international gatherings, such as the International Conference on Volunteerism and the MDGs held in Islamabad, Pakistan, UNV advocated for and raised awareness of volunteering for the MDGs.

In his annual report message, UNV Executive Coordinator Ad de Raad centred attention on the upcoming 2005 World Summit at the United Nations as a prime opportunity to advance the cause of volunteering for development. “[The World Summit]… will provide UNV the chance to further strengthen its work and encourage more people to take part in activities that contribute directly to the attainment of the MDGs,” he said. “There is no doubt in my mind that the inclusion of volunteers as partners in this united effort will make the realization of the Goals that much closer.”

And in his forward to Gaining ground, Mark Malloch Brown, the Administrator of UNDP, emphasized the role of volunteerism in meeting the MDGs. “As world leaders prepare to meet this September, the importance of mobilizing citizens through volunteerism has never been more critical,” he said. “In diverse ways, UNV provides a range of opportunities for people wanting to contribute to the achievement of the MDGs.”

UNV’s Annual Report for 2004/2005 can be viewed in English, French and Spanish.