For the first time in UN history, a substantive discussion on the role of volunteerism in the promotion of social development was held at the 39th session of the United Nations Economic and Social Council's Commission for Social Development in February 2001. A special panel of experts, organized by the UNV programme, preceded the government debate. It resulted in a draft resolution adopted by the 46 members of the Commission. Read

This document is a practical guide on the study of volunteer behaviour to empower countries to produce their own empirical data to demonstrate the importance contribution of volunteerism to their economy.  This toolkit is to assist countries worldwide in undertaking measurement studies on national, regional and local volunteering. Read

This report reflects a roundtable discussion of a small group of experts in The Hague in November 2000 to recapture the human and community dimension of voluntary action as well as its diversity, and to explore possible avenues for government support in the context of the opportunities offered by the International Year of Volunters 2001. Read

This documents contains recommendations in six broad areas on ways Governments can increase support for volunteerism. Read

A case study prepared for the UNV country office in Viet Nam in October 2005 looks at the contribution of volunteerism in Viet Nam and provides evidence to support the link between volunteerism and the achievement of the MDGs in this country. Read