International Volunteer Day for Economic and Social Development is celebrated every year internationally all over the world on 5th of December. This event celebration provides a great chance to all the individual volunteers and organizations of volunteers to show their contributions at the international, national and local levels in order to get the Millennium Development Goals.
Celebrating the International Volunteer Day every year for the Economic and Social Development was first approved by the United Nations General Assembly. It was declared on 17th of December in 1985 to be celebrated on 5th of December every year worldwide. Since then, the International Volunteer Day was started celebrating yearly by the UN system, the governments, civil society organizations and etc.
Every year celebration of the international volunteer day helps the thousands of volunteers to get mobilized and works very intimately with the partners as well as the government organizations to set up the program for national volunteers in order to make the organizations which can promote and carry on the local volunteerism in all countries.
Volunteers, using online volunteering service, works in group and take an action for the continuous human development by promoting the development organizations activities over the Internet. Thousands of people are working as a volunteer daily using their online or on-site resource in order to maintain the peace and human development as well as to attain the MDGs (Millennium Development Goals).
International Volunteer Day is celebrated yearly worldwide on 5th of December with the great hope of a better world. It focuses on promoting the awareness and appreciating the individual volunteers as well as volunteer organizations. It aimed to recognize the commitment of volunteers in order to get people informed about the effects of volunteering on the harmony and continuous human development.
International volunteer day for economic and social development 2019 will be celebrated on Wednesday, the 5th of December.
Government and non-government organizations including various ministries and departments across the world recognized the sincere efforts and dedication of the volunteers worldwide who stood strong at the time of disasters and in the times of need. The Department of Disaster Management and Emergencies said a warm thank you to all the volunteers and distributed awareness pamphlets in various communities across Turks and Caicos Islands in British Territories.
The 2018 theme for International Volunteers Day was “Volunteers build Resilient Communities”. It focused on local community volunteers who contribute in making their communities more resilient against various natural disasters, economical and political stresses. This year the main focus was on values of volunteerism by appreciation and recognition of local volunteers including women and their impact of building resilient communities.
Vietnam celebrated its National Volunteers Day on 01st Dec in Hanoi. The event aimed to honour and recognize the hard work and dedication of national and international voluntary organisations in promoting social and economical development in the world. Various activities like opening ceremony, blood donation camp, walkathon, fundraising etc were also held in the event. Around 18 awards were given to individuals and organisations for their outstanding contribution to voluntary activities.
What is Online Volunteering Award
The online volunteering award is offered to the best volunteer for recognizing his great contribution towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals for the economic and social development. Online or onsite volunteers get encouraged and strengthened their capacities of performances for promoting the peace and human development through the projects by giving their precious time, proficiency and knowledge on the Internet.
The UNV (United Nations Volunteers) Online Volunteering Award gives a chance to the online volunteers and their organizations to show their online volunteering experiences and excellent practices to aware the global audience. 10 online volunteers get nominated for getting the UNV Online Volunteering Award for their great contribution and achievement of the MDGs. The volunteers get selected by the jury of UNV representatives and specialists in volunteerism as well as development cooperation. Public from all across the world are invited to vote their favorite winner.
The UNV online volunteering award is provided to the online individual volunteer or teams of online volunteers supporting a volunteering organization running for the peace and human development through the Internet.
What are the Selection Criteria?
The nomination of the volunteers for the UNV online volunteering award is reviewed by the jury which is based on the following mentioned criteria:
> The dedication and involvement of the online volunteers.
> Working relationship between the volunteers and volunteering organizations
> Outcome of the teamwork and impact on the activities of volunteer organization.
There are many important objectives of celebrating the international volunteer day for the economic and social development. Some of the purposes are mentioned below:
> International volunteer day is celebrated every year to make the living of human being better worldwide by promoting the peace and human development.
> International volunteer day is celebrated to recognize the contributions of online volunteers towards the achievement of the MDGs.
> To demonstrate their volunteering experiences, excellent practices and how they get strengthened their capacities of work for promoting the peace and human development by their skills and knowledge through the Internet.
> To inspire and mobilize the general public globally through the experiences of volunteers engaged in harmony and human progress activities on the Internet.
> To encourage other volunteering organizations to work jointly and make their endeavors strong.
> To appreciate the winning individual volunteer or volunteering organizations to get nominated for the UNV online volunteering award.
> It targets to overcome the poverty, diseases, illiteracy, hunger, environmental deprivation and intolerance against the women.
> To remove the poverty, achieve the widespread primary education, promote gender equality, authorize women, reduce the child death rate, improve the maternal health, prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS, malaria, dengue or other foremost diseases as well as to make sure the environmental sustainability.
International volunteer day celebration focuses on increasing the awareness among people and government organizations for their voluntary contributions. Stimulate the people, businesses, nonprofit organizations and etc to put forward their services as a volunteer through the various activities such as:
> Parades, marches and rallies are organized for increasing the awareness among people worldwide.
> Award ceremony organized for winner volunteers for appreciating their significant involvement to their communities.
> Varieties of competitions and events are organized for the Volunteers.
> Time donation campaign involves people to pledge for the voluntary services to the precise projects.
> Voluntary programs launched by the Companies as part of their business responsibility.
> The theme of 2018 was “Volunteers build Resilient Communities”.
> The theme of 2017 was “Volunteers Act First. Here. Everywhere”.
> The theme of 2016 was “Global Applause – give volunteers a hand”.
> Theme of 2015 was “The world is changing. Are you? Volunteer!”
> Theme of 2014 was “People’s Participation. Make change happen, volunteer!”
> Theme of 2013 was “Young. Global. Active.”
> Theme of 2012 was “Celebrate our commitment and hope for a better world”.