A resolution adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on the report of the Third Committee (A/63/424) has decided that on or around 5 December 2011, two plenary meetings of the sixty-sixth session of the General Assembly shall be devoted to follow-up to the International Year of Volunteers and the commemoration of its tenth anniversary, under the item entitled 'Social development'.

New York, USA: "Opening opportunities for volunteerism is increasingly seen as a means to promoting social integration," says the United Nations Commission on Social Development in its latest Chairperson's summary. "Volunteerism has contributed to developing social capital for social groups, including those that have traditionally found themselves marginalized from mainstream participation in development activities."

On 5 December 2011, the United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution A/RES/66/67 on marking the tenth anniversary of the International Year of Volunteers.

The Resolution follows on from other major volunteering events over the year, such as the Global Volunteering Conference in Budapest, and six regional consultations held during the year.

The UN General Assembly adopted the Resolution on "Integrating Volunteering in the Next Decade", which was co-facilitated by Brazil and Japan. 

The Resolution recognizes that "volunteerism is an important component of any strategy aimed at such areas as poverty reduction, sustainable development, health, education, youth empowerment, climate change, disaster risk reduction, social integration, social welfare, humanitarian action, peacebuilding and, in particular, overcoming social exclusion and discrimination."

The UN General Assembly adopted the Resolution on "Integrating volunteering into peace and development: the plan of action for the next decade and beyond", co-facilitated by Brazil and Japan and co-sponsored by 100 Member States.