30 March 2001

Bonn, Germany: The Executive Coordinator of the United Nations Volunteers (UNV), Sharon Capeling-Alakija, will address the 105th Inter-Parliamentary Conference in Havana, Cuba, on 2 April about the growing awareness of volunteer action during the International Year of Volunteers 2001 (IYV 2001).

Ms. Capeling-Alakija will deliver a keynote address to the representatives of the Inter-Parliamentary Union's 140 member parliaments and five associated regional parliamentary assemblies during a general debate on the political economic and social situation in the world.

She will inform the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) delegates of the work of UNV, in particular, celebrations around the world in connection with the International Year of Volunteers.

During the week-long conference, parliamentarians will discuss a draft IPU resolution on "Support to the United Nations International Year of Volunteers: 2001". It urges parliaments and their members around the world to open consultations with major organizations concerned with volunteerism in their countries to identify policies that might be adopted to encourage volunteerism and to set up a legislative framework supportive of voluntary action from a "good governance" perspective.

The draft resolution also calls on parliaments to contribute to the report of the UN Secretary-General on ways that governments and the UN system could support volunteerism for discussion in December 2001 at the 56th session of the UN General Assembly.

This draft resolution is the latest effort to bring the contributions of volunteers into the global political and legislative arena. In February, the UN Commission on Social Development discussed, for the first time, the role of governments in support of volunteerism for the promotion of social development. The Commission approved a draft resolution calling on governments to recognize and further study the impact of volunteerism in society. Fifty member states endorsed the draft resolution that will now be presented to the July 2001 Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) for further consideration. ECOSOC will then recommend the resolution's adoption by the UN General Assembly.

"It is the first time in 56 years that the United Nations has had a substantive discussion on volunteerism," said Ms. Capeling-Alakija. She added that the draft resolution opens doors to volunteers worldwide to contribute their ideas on volunteerism to their countries' representatives at the UN.