16 May 2001

Bonn, Germany: Least developed countries (LDCs) need citizen participation through volunteers and self-help groups to promote and sustain social development, Sharon Capeling-Alakija, Executive Coordinator of the United Nations Volunteers programme (UNV), said today.

“Citizen participation in society through voluntary effort is a crucial aspect of good governance,” she told delegates at the 3rd United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries in Brussels.

“In times like these when problems are immense and resources are scarce, we would be well advised to factor the contributions of volunteers into our search for solutions,” she added.

Mainstream development thinking and practice, she said, has overlooked contributions made through voluntary action, often dismissing the phenomenon as contributions in kind.

“The volunteer efforts of local citizens are recorded in invisible ink. Through research at the national level, however, we can gain a better understanding of the social and economic value of volunteerism as well as gauge its lasting impact. We can also suggest ways in which governments, as well as the UN system and other external actors, can promote a positive environment for volunteerism to flourish and contribute to social development,” she said.

While urging governments to encourage the use of volunteers of all types—those working in volunteer organizations or others who, through mutual aid, assist neighbours spontaneously and informally “in a spirit of trust and reciprocity”—Ms. Capeling-Alakija stressed that volunteerism cannot replace government action.

“Volunteering is cost-effective, but not cost free,” she said. “It needs inspired leadership, training and infrastructure to support the work of citizens who give freely of their time. It is important to eliminate legislative, policy, organizational and other barriers so that more people can come forward and actively participate in their communities.”