IYV +10
2001 was proclaimed as the International Year of Volunteers or “IYV” to enhance the recognition, facilitation, networking and promotion of volunteer service (United Nations General Assembly Resolution A/Res/52/17 of 1997).
The Tenth anniversary of the International Year of Volunteers provides us the opportunity to recognize and celebrate the will, positive energy and innovation of millions of people for human development and human rights through a multitude of volunteering initiatives from locally initiated activities to structured full-time engagements.
IYV +10 will highlight the great diversity of volunteers of all ages, origins, cultures, socio-economic backgrounds and experiences.
Objective of IYV + 10
IYV+10 will celebrate volunteering as an expression of our common humanity and as a means to:
• Build respect, understanding, trust, solidarity and reciprocity
• Benefit both society at large and the individual volunteer
• Contribute to human development and human rights
• Engage the will, positive energy and innovation of millions of people towards realizing the Millennium Development Goals (MDGS)
• Create an enabling environment for citizen engagement through the development of volunteering policies, supportive legislation and other infrastructure
Global Campaign
The global agenda of IYV +10 will be driven by celebrations and activities by international stakeholders, including volunteer involving organizations, Governments, UN agencies, and private foundations. A Global Plan of Action was developed as a result of a consultative stakeholders meeting convened by UNV in October bringing together more than 40 international organizations. UNV will support different global events including:
• A Global Summit on Volunteerism and the MDGs mid 2011
• Two UN General Assembly Sessions dedicated to IYV +10 in December 2011
• Launch of the first State of the World’s Volunteerism
• A Photo and multimedia exhibition in December 2011 showcasing “Volunteers of the World”
National Campaigns
The success of IYV +10 will largely depend on the initiative and involvement of national-level actors. The IYV +10 National Coordinating Committee will bring together different national actors from civil society, government and the private sector in order to develop a national agenda for volunteerism for peace and development.
Partnering with UNV Guyana for IYV +10
UNV Guyana will partner with local, regional and international stakeholders to mobilize volunteers, integrate volunteerism in programs and initiatives such as youth policies and development planning conferences and support volunteerism advocacy.
Examples of partnership opportunities include volunteerism advocacy, management support, volunteerism for development workshops, a volunteerism and development lecture series, promotional materials and initiatives using IYV +10 branding, National Volunteer Awards and an IYV +10 Magazine showcasing local volunteerism.
Link to UN Days
Link specific activities to related UN Days. Send us your stories and pictures highlighting how volunteerism contributes to achieving objectives related to UN Days, such as World Refuge Day, World Day for Cultural Diversity, World Poverty Day, World Environment Day or World Health Day. You can find the list of the UN days on www.worldvolunteerweb.com
