04 December 2000

This UN General Assembly resolution, co-sponsored by 60 Member States and adopted on 4 December 2000, calls upon states to promote an environment conducive to the discussion of the characteristics and trends of volunteer action in their own societies; calls for two plenary meetings of the 56th session of the GA to discuss volunteering on 5 December 2001 coinciding with the closing of IYV; and requests the Secretary-General to report on the outcome of IYV and its follow-up at the 57th session of the General Assembly.

This resolution:

• takes into account the valuable contribution of volunteering not only to social development but also to economic development
• calls upon states to promote an environment conducive to the discussion of the characteristics and trends of volunteer action in their own societies
• invites states to consider all means available for more people to become involved in voluntary action and to be drawn from a broader cross-section of society
• encourages governments, non-governmental organizations, the private sector, UN system, eminent persons and other relevant actors to take all possible measures to promote volunteer action
• requests the Secretary-General to disseminate information at the various UN related global conferences taken place during 2001
• calls for two plenary meetings of the 56th session of the GA to discuss volunteering on 5 December 2001 coinciding with the closing of IYV
• requests the Secretary-General to prepare a report on ways governments and the United Nations system can support volunteering for discussion at the GA plenary meetings
• requests the Secretary-General to report on the outcome of IYV and its follow up to be presented at the 57th session of the GA