Achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) will require the ingenuity, solidarity and creativity of millions of ordinary people through voluntary action. Efforts on the part of national governments, supported by the international community, can only complement what ultimately will depend on the full involvement of people worldwide. Six billion people have something to contribute to these efforts.  

Whether expressed as volunteer service, mutual aid and self-help, campaigning or other forms of voluntary participation, the willingness and ability of citizens to give freely of their time out of a sense of solidarity will have a major influence on the extent to which the MDGs are attained and sustained.  

This section documents how volunteers worldwide are contributing to the achievement of each of the MDG goals.