Next year marks the fifth anniversary of the Millennium Declaration, and takes us a third of a way to the 2015 deadline of the Millennium Development Goals and their overarching target of halving extreme poverty. It is a year that we hope and believe will be marked by concrete action by Governments and people everywhere, North and South, to put in place the policies and partnerships and support needed to meet the MDGs. Read

It is reassuring to note that increasing numbers of concerned citizens are playing their part in the development process by making a conscious decision to volunteer. Read

Taking our first steps into the 21st century, we – the global community – have set our sights on a more prosperous, healthy and educated world by striving to achieve a set of time-bound objectives called the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Many volunteers have joined this massive effort, and indeed, it would be difficult to accomplish without them. Read

Amid a daily dose of news stories about war, conflicts and other man-made disasters, it is often a challenge not to lose heart when we see the suffering inflicted on so many millions of people throughout the world. But far away from the spotlight, there are millions of generous individuals who, around the clock and around the world, roll up their sleeves and volunteer to help in any way they can. Read

By focusing on volunteerism - and its role in making sports accessible to all- this congress sends two crucial messages:
First, wide access to sports is crucial to the vitality and productivity of every society. And second, without volunteer effort, wide access is not possible Read