Volunteers from 108 countries to recommend follow-up to UN International Year of Volunteers

GENEVA, November 2001 - More than 500 government officials and volunteer leaders from 108 countries will take part in an International Symposium on Volunteering from 18 to 21 November 2001 at Geneva's International Conference Centre (15, rue Varembé, 1202 Geneva). Delegates will evaluate activities of the International Year of Volunteers 2001 (IYV) in order to recommend ways in which governments, the UN system and civil society at large can support volunteer action.

"This gathering of volunteering experts is crucial as we take stock of the year's extraordinary achievements and work out key messages for the United Nations General Assembly, which will convene two plenary sessions on the subject on 5 December -- the annual International Volunteer Day," said Sharon Capeling-Alakija, Executive Coordinator of the United Nations Volunteers programme (UNV). UNV is the global focal point for IYV (www.iyv2001.org).

The Symposium has received financial support from the Swiss Government, the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, the Canton of Geneva and the City of Geneva. It is organized by the International Symposium Association and International Conference Volunteers, under the patronage of Moritz Leuenberger, President of the Swiss confederation, iyv-forum.ch, the Swiss National Committee for the International Year of Volunteers based in Bern, and UNV.

Prominent speakers at the four-day event include Mr. Leuenberger; H.R.H. Crown Prince Felipe de Asturias of Spain who is serving as an IYV Eminent Person; Dr. Judith Stamm, President of the Swiss IYV National Committee; Ms. Capeling-Alakija, who is representing UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan at the Symposium; Japanese Ambassador Koichi Haraguchi, and local authorities.

Pre-Symposium workshop sessions on youth, older persons and volunteer web sites are being held on 18 November.

Please note the following media events:

Monday, 19 November 2001

• 9:30 a.m.: Photo opportunity: H.R.H. Crown Prince Felipe de Asturias of Spain, Mr. Leuenberger, Dr. Stamm, and Ms. Capeling-Alakija will open the IYV National Committees Exhibition (ICCG Exhibition).
  
• 10.00 a.m.: Official opening ceremony in the plenary hall (ICCG 1)
  
• 12 noon: Press conference with Sharon Capeling-Alakija, UNV Executive Coordinator, Dr. Judith Stamm, President of the Swiss IYV National Committee, and other dignitaries (Ground Floor).

Wednesday, 21 November 2001

• 4.00 p.m.: Closing ceremony in the plenary hall

Workshops will be held on the year's objectives of volunteer recognition, promotion, facilitation and networking. Delegates will wrap-up the Symposium by drafting a common statement, including suggestions for follow-up after IYV 2001. Dr. Nafis Sadik, IYV Eminent Person and former Executive Director of the UN Population Fund, will present this document and her personal reflections from the Symposium to the UN General Assembly on 5 December. Special speakers have been invited to address the issue of volunteerism and exchange views with volunteers such as Dr. Sadik, Alfredo Sfeir-Younis, Special Representative of the World Bank to the UN and the WTO and Ambassador Walter Fust, Director of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation.

Interviews can be organized with Ms. Capeling-Alakija, Dr. Judith Stamm, President of the Swiss IYV National Committee, as well as local authorities and many other participants, including those representing countries around the world.

###