24 November 2004

Islamabad, Pakistan: The role of volunteerism in helping to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) is the theme of a three-day international conference being held in Pakistan’s capital city starting on 5 December, International Volunteer Day.

Hosted and organized by Pakistan’s National Commission for Human Development and in partnership with the United Nations system, in particular the United Nations Development Programme and the UN Volunteers programme, the International Conference on Volunteerism and the Millennium Development Goals will focus on the actions needed to promote and advance volunteer contributions as an essential ingredient to achieve the eight MDGs.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Shaukat Aziz, will officially launch the conference on 5 December, which will be attended by UN Pakistan’s Resident Coordinator, Onder Yucer, UNICEF’s Executive Director, Carol Bellamy, and UNV’s Executive Coordinator, Ad de Raad.

On 6 and 7 December sessions will be held specific to each Goal. Experts from around the world with diverse backgrounds in development and volunteerism will share views and discuss actions to increase volunteer contributions to the MDGs. The seminar will also look at the resources needed to provide more opportunities for volunteers to participate in MDG-related activities.

Some 200 delegates are anticipated to attend the conference including Pakistani government officials, parliamentarians, civil society representatives, volunteer-involving organizations, UN officials, journalists, and students.

The conference will also feed into the discussions that will take place at the UN General Assembly in 2005 on progress made towards achieving the MDGs and on action that needs to be taken to ensure that all the targets are met by 2015.