Sharon [Capeling-Alakija],
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Dear colleagues and friends,

It is a great pleasure to be with you today to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the United Nations Volunteers, at the mid point of the International Year of Volunteers.

I have always been full of admiration for the splendid work that volunteers do all over the world to meet people's needs, to protect their rights, and to help give them a voice. Asking nothing in return but to share a human experience, volunteers generously put their time, their skills and their talents at the service of the poor and the vulnerable.

For three decades, the United Nations family has been able to count on committed and dedicated individuals from all regions of the globe, who have served as UN Volunteers. They have contributed their skills to every area of our work - health, education, environment, urban development, peacekeeping, humanitarian relief, promotion of human rights and democracy, and the fight against poverty and HIV/AIDS.

UNVs are a kind of microcosm of the United Nations as a whole: they represent all nations; they serve in all corners of the world; and they support the efforts of almost every UN department, fund, programme and specialised agency.

Today, I would like to reflect on the support UN Volunteers have given to our efforts to build peace in various parts of the world. In the past eight years, more than 4,000 UNVs have served in 19 different UN peacekeeping missions. Whether they have taken up tasks in civil administration, electoral affairs, human rights, or logistical support, their contribution has been crucial to the success of our operations.

Recently I visited Sierra Leone, and I could see first-hand how essential volunteers are to the running of the UN mission there. The 70 UNVs assigned to UNAMSIL work as water and sewage specialists, field engineers, camp managers, construction supervisors, and human rights educators assisting war victims. But their work does not stop there.

They continue to volunteer even beyond their demanding regular hours with UNAMSIL. As a volunteer action team, they get together in the evenings and on weekends to do extra work. They have already repainted a hospital and built a laboratory. And they organize sports activities with the local residents on a continuing basis.

The dedicated and competent services which UN Volunteers render to peacekeeping missions were clearly recognized last year by the Brahimi Panel in its report on peace operations.

As a follow-up to this report, the United Nations and UNV will finalize, by the end of August, a Memorandum of Understanding on the involvement of UNVs in peacekeeping operations, which will enable us to make the best use of the vast pool of talent that UN Volunteers represent.

We need UNVs' commitment more than ever. At the Millennium Summit last September, world leaders resolved to free the world of extreme poverty and conflict, and preserve the health of our planet for future generations. All of us need to roll up our sleeves if these goals are to become more than wishful thinking.

I hope that today's programme will stimulate our thinking on how to build on the achievements of the first 30 years, and how to ensure that the combination of professionalism, solidarity and service that characterizes UN Volunteers can play its fullest role in creating a better and safer world for all the world's peoples.

Thank you very much.