International Volunteer Day (IVD) is a chance for volunteer-involving organizations and individual volunteers to promote their contributions to development at local, national and international levels. By merging UN support with a grassroots mandate, IVD is a unique opportunity for volunteer-involving organizations to work with government agencies, non-profit organizations, community groups and the private sector.

IVD was established by the United Nations General Assembly through Resolution 40/212 on 17 December 1985. Since then, governments, the UN system and civil society organizations have successfully joined volunteers around the world to celebrate the Day on 5 December.

Recognizing the crucial role volunteers play in addressing environmental issues, the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme is inviting everyone to join the 'Volunteering for our Planet' campaign. Together with the UN's 'Seal the Deal' movement, the campaign aims to gather the number of volunteering hours and report this at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (7-18 December) in Copenhagen.

Visit Volunteering for our Planet. Register your volunteer work and commit your volunteering hours.

Remember, every action makes a difference. Every hour counts.

Download the IVD 2009 factsheet (English, Spanish, French) [PDF]

Download official IVD 2009 statements:
UNDP Administrator (English, French, Spanish) [PDF]
UNV Executive Coordinator (English, French, Spanish) [PDF]
UN Secretary-General (Arabic, Chinese, English, French, German, Russian, Spanish) [PDF]

Visit the World Volunteer Web for more information and resources on IVD.