The General Assembly, in its Resolution 55/57, requested the Secretary-General to report to it at its fifty-seventh session on the outcome of the International Year of Volunteers and its follow-up. The present report describes the background to the Year, provides an overview of actions taken, presents conclusions and discusses the future.  Read article

This UN General Assembly resolution (A/RES/56/38), co-sponsored by 126 Member States and adopted on 5 December 2001, proposes recommendations on how governments and the United Nations system can support volunteering.
In these recommendations, the terms volunteering, volunteerism and voluntary activities refer to a wide range of activities, including traditional forms of mutual aid and self-help, formal service delivery and other forms of civic participation, undertaken of free will, for the general public good and where monetary reward is not the principal motivating factor.  Read article

For the first time in UN history, a substantive discussion on the role of volunteerism in the promotion of social development was held at the 39th session of the United Nations Economic and Social Council's Commission for Social Development in February 2001. A special panel of experts, organized by the UNV programme, preceded the government debate. It resulted in a draft resolution adopted by the 46 members of the Commission.   Read article

This UN General Assembly resolution, co-sponsored by 60 Member States and adopted on 4 December 2000, calls upon states to promote an environment conducive to the discussion of the characteristics and trends of volunteer action in their own societies; calls for two plenary meetings of the 56th session of the GA to discuss volunteering on 5 December 2001 coinciding with the closing of IYV; and requests the Secretary-General to report on the outcome of IYV and its follow-up at the 57th session of the General Assembly.  Read article

This UN General Assembly resolution declaring 2001 the International Year of Volunteers designated the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme, the volunteer arm of the UN, as the focal point. The objectives of the Year are increased promotion, recognition, facilitation and networking of voluntary action worldwide. The resolution was co-sponsored by 123 countries.  Read article

On the recommendation of the Second Committee, the UN General Assembly adopted this resolution (A/RES/40/212) on 17 December 1985, establishing 5 December as International Volunteer Day.  Read article