International Volunteer Day Economic Social Development
International Volunteer Day commonly known as IVD is celebrated on 5 December every year. It started as an international observance mandated by the United Nations General Assembly in 1985. It's a day where volunteers are acknowledged and the spirit of volunteerism is promoted at the local, national and international levels.
The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) program joins IVD celebrations with UN Volunteers and all volunteers around the world – amplifying the importance of people-led solutions to our common challenges.
Solidarity through volunteering
International Volunteer Day (IVD) 2022 celebrates the theme of solidarity through volunteering. This campaign highlights the power of our collective humanity to drive positive change through volunteerism.
The UN Volunteers (UNV) programmed coordinates IVD on 5 December annually to recognize and promote the tireless work, not just of UN Volunteers, but of volunteers across the globe.
Rising inequalities throughout the world implore that we need to work together to find common solutions. Volunteers, drawn together by solidarity, develop solutions to urgent development challenges and for the common good.
Volunteering is where compassion meets solidarity. Both share the same root values – supporting each other from a position of trust, humility, respect and equality.
In the lead up to #IVD2022, join UNV and volunteers around the globe to celebrate the spirit of volunteerism . We are proud of all volunteers who are role models in their communities by working together in solidarity and personifying inspiration in action.
TogetherActNow
UNV’s campaign, “Together, act now”, encourages unity and urgent action and drives outreach aimed at promoting, mobilizing and advocating for volunteerism as well as recognizing the invaluable contribution of volunteers worldwide.
In addition to the call to action and campaign hashtag, #TogetherActNow, we encourage you to use the key messages on the social media posts and templates you can find our Trello board to highlight the theme of solidarity and the positive benefits of volunteerism.
IVD for partnerships
Through the years, IVD has been used strategically – many countries have focused on volunteer contributions to achieving sustainable development and its set of time-bound targets to combat poverty, hunger, disease, health, environmental degradation, and gender equality.
The organization of IVD events is generally the result of a partnership between the UN system, governments, volunteer-involving organizations, and committed individuals that include – media, academia, foundations, the private sector, and recreational organizations, among others.