Volunteering Australia proudly supports International Volunteer Day (IVD) on 5 December, to raise awareness on the important role volunteers play in responding to challenges facing the world.
About International Volunteer Day (IVD)
International Volunteer Day (IVD) mandated by the UN General Assembly, is held each year on 5 December. It is viewed as a unique chance for volunteers and organisations to celebrate their efforts, to share their values, and to promote their work among their communities, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), United Nations agencies, government authorities and the private sector.
Apart from mobilising thousands of volunteers every year, the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme contributes to peace and development by advocating for the recognition of volunteers and working with partners to integrate volunteerism into development programming.
2020 Theme: Together We Can Through Volunteering
This extraordinarily challenging year has shone a spotlight on the power of volunteers in Australia and around the world. With the message Together We Can Through Volunteering, UN Volunteers is encouraging everyone to make International Volunteer Day this year a worldwide moment to thank volunteers and celebrate their efforts despite all the challenges at hand.
The COVID-19 Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan by the WHO identifies community volunteers as key stakeholders for risk communication and community engagement. This indicates the valuable and the great effort the WHO believes volunteers is doing during COVID-19. Yet, recognition is still not enough, especially when it comes to volunteers’ own well-being and access to health care.
As UN Deputy Secretary General Amina J. Mohammed reminded us in opening the GTM2020 in July, “the efforts of 1 billion volunteers is an important foundation at a pivotal moment for development to enable us to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic”.
UN Volunteers has developed a designated web page for the campaign with everything you need to take part. Follow UN Volunteers and Volunteering Australia’s social media channels for the latest updates. Join in the conversation on social media using the hashtags #TogetherWeCan and #IVD2020, and tag Volunteering Australia. The blue heart emoji will be associated with the IVD2020 and contribute to building the campaign image that conveys a positive feeling, solidarity, and compassion toward volunteers.
