In West and Central Africa, IVD is celebrated in all 24 countries by governments, civil society, non-governmental organizations and the UN system. This year’s theme, "Volunteers build resilient communities", focuses on the values of volunteerism through the appreciation of local volunteers (including the marginalized groups and women, who make up nearly 60 per cent of volunteers worldwide) and their impact on building a resilient community. 

The celebrations started in Ecuador, with the Regional Launch of the State of the World’s Volunteerism Report (SWVR) 2018, along with FLACSO and local Governmental and civil society organizations.

Among those, there are more than 9 million equivalent full-time volunteers in the Arab States. A region which is not only home to fragile ecosystems, extreme weather and subject to natural disasters – such as catastrophic droughts and floods – but have also been witnessing armed conflicts that increased the pressure on societies and local communities, driving millions into forced displacement and food insecurity.

International Volunteer Day (IVD), mandated by the UN General Assembly, is marked annually on 5 December. It provides volunteers and organizations with the opportunity to promote their contributions to development at the local, national and international levels. This year’s theme, "Volunteers Build Resilient Communities", celebrates volunteers who improve the resilience of communities in the face of natural disasters, economic stresses and political shocks.

In 2018, four candidates have already been selected for assignments with UNDP in Armenia, Thailand, Sri Lanka and Ukraine.  

International Volunteer Day is celebrated by many non-governmental organizations, civil society, and the private sector, among others. It is also marked and supported by the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme. UNV coordinates a campaign to promote IVD every year, building on the impact volunteers have in communities, nationally and globally for peace and development.

The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme selects themes and campaigns to provide special meaning to IVD, creating a unifying concept for those who wish to join. The IVD 2016 campaign “#GlobalApplause – give volunteers a hand” cheered on the efforts of volunteers in peace building and sustainable development. The IVD 2017 campaign “Volunteers Act First. Here. Everywhere.” recognized the work of volunteers on the ground in times of crisis through events and celebrations in a display of solidarity.

Under this year’s IVD theme “Volunteers act first. Here. Everywhere“, two events were planned in the Montserrado County in the North West of Liberia. For the very first time, the UNV Field Unit also organized awareness events in Grand Gedeh County (Zwedru) and Grand Cape Mount County (Robertsport).

The Prime Minister spoke enthusiastically about his clear commitment to create a spirit of volunteerism for the promotion of development activities in Mali and "to contribute in solving the social, economic, cultural and environmental problems in order to build a more just and prosperous society." In fact, the Malian Prime Minister sees volunteerism as "a strategy for implementing the government's projects and programmes in a spirit of participation based on the need for the socio-economic growth of communities.