International Volunteer Day for Social and Economic Development

Today we celebrate International Volunteer Day with the theme Share the Story.  Ten years ago today, we launched the United Nations International Year of the Volunteer (IYV).  I was honored to have played a role in producing the launch event in New York that featured the Secretary-General Kofi Annan.  For the next year, we will work to again put a spotlight on the importance of giving back with IYV+10.  Flavia Pansieri, United Nations Volunteers Executive Coordinator stated: “’Share the Story’ shows how the incredible spirit of people all over the world inspires others to get involved. On-site or online, in their own community or abroad, at the national or at the global level, volunteers deliberately take action to address peace and development issues such as ending hunger, improving healthcare, addressing conflict, tackling gender inequality and dealing with the impact of climate change. Volunteers don’t wait for others to solve the problems; they engage and play an essential role as active citizens in shaping their societies.” http://www.unv.org/en/news-resources/news/doc/message-on-the-international.html