28 March 2011

Quito, Ecuador: The planet’s seven billion people all have something to contribute to making the world a better place: they just need ways to get involved and act effectively.

The voluntary sector plays a major part in helping pull countries out of poverty or recover from conflict, and harnessing this vast resource could be a major step towards sustainable development and the Millennium Development Goals. Representatives from different sectors involved in volunteering are therefore gathering in Quito today for the first in a series of get-togethers aimed at paving the way for a World Volunteer Coalition.

“Volunteering is an essential tool of governance by the people and for the people, a tool for citizens’ participation,” said Ricardo Carrillo, Under-Secretary of People, Social Movements and Citizen Participation in Ecuador, during his opening remarks at the meeting in Quito.

“We are promoting volunteering across ministries in order to join efforts and resources and influence public policies.”

This year marks the tenth anniversary of the International Year of Volunteers, and a number of national and global organizations are working together towards common objectives. As part of this effort, the Quito meeting aims to strengthen the volunteering agenda and boost the development debate in Latin America, and will be followed in April and May by further regional consultations in Turkey, the Philippines and Senegal.

Representatives at the regional meeting are being invited to formulate regional recommendations on volunteering for peace and development. Bringing together the diverse range of Latin American organizations will also strengthen partnerships and synergies in the region, and give representatives the opportunity to share a multitude of ideas and experiences.

“Volunteers play a role in their communities from the delivery of basic services to taking active stands in shaping their livelihoods and ultimately their societies,” said UNV Executive Coordinator Flavia Pansieri in her address to the participants gathered in Quito.

“As we devote the year to celebrating volunteers and the spirit of volunteerism, we will be showing that all truly human society is one where individuals and communities engage constructively towards a better future for all.”

The meeting in Quito, organized by the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme with the financial support of the White Helmets Commission of Argentina, brings together people from across Latin America: Ecuador, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru and Uruguay are all represented.

At the end of the year, two plenary sessions of the United Nations General Assembly in New York will be dedicated to volunteering.


Contact:

Philip Sen
Communications Officer, International Year of Volunteers +10, UNV
Tel: +49 228 815 2019
philip.sen [at] unvolunteers.org