On the occasion of the International Volunteer Day and under the theme “YOUNG.GLOBAL.ACTIVE”, the UN Volunteers Support Unit in Libya kindly invites media to a celebration to be held in Tripoli’s Old City, Bab Al-Bahr, Marcus Arch, from 4:30 p.m. till 7 p.m. on Thursday 5 December 2013.

The event includes honoring volunteers who carried out activities in 2013. International Volunteers Day on 5 December will also be marked with a number of activities, including a street-cleaning campaign in and outside Tripoli and the inauguration of a tree-planting campaign.

Background on International Volunteer Day:

International Volunteer Day is a chance for individual volunteers, communities and organizations to promote their contributions to development at the local, national and international levels. By combining UN support with a grassroots mandate, International Volunteer Day is a unique opportunity for people and volunteer-involving organizations to work with government agencies, non-profit institutions, community groups, academia and the private sector.

The International Volunteer Day for Economic and Social Development was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly through Resolution A/RES/40/212 on 17 December 1985. Since then, governments, the UN system and civil society organizations have successfully joined volunteers around the world to celebrate the Day on 5 December.

Theme for 2013: YOUNG.GLOBAL.ACTIVE

International Volunteer Day (IVD) offers an opportunity for volunteer organizations and individual volunteers to make visible their contributions - at local, national and international levels - to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

Apart from mobilising thousands of volunteers every year, the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme works closely with partners and governments to establish national volunteerprogrammes to create structures that foster and sustain local volunteerism in countries. Through the Online Volunteering service volunteers can take action for sustainable human development by supporting the activities of development organizations over the Internet. Every day thousands of people are volunteering, online or on-site, contributing to peace and development and working to achieve the MDGs.

IVD 2013 is a global celebration of young people acting as the agents of change in their communities.

On International Volunteer Day (IVD) 2013, we not only celebrate and recognize volunteerism in all its facets – but pay special tribute to the contribution of youth volunteers in global peace and sustainable human development. For IVD 2013 we celebrate globally that young people act as the agents of change in their communities.

About The United Nations Volunteers (UNV)

The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme is the UN organization that contributes to peace and development through volunteerism worldwide.

Volunteerism is a powerful means of engaging people in tackling development challenges, and it can transform the pace and nature of development. Volunteerism benefits both society at large and the individual volunteer by strengthening trust, solidarity and reciprocity among citizens, and by purposefully creating opportunities for participation.

UNV contributes to peace and development by advocating for recognition of volunteers, working with partners to integrate volunteerism into development programming, and mobilizing an increasing number and diversity of volunteers, including experienced UN Volunteers, throughout the world. UNV embraces volunteerism as universal and inclusive, and recognizes volunteerism in its diversity as well as the values that sustain it: free will, commitment, engagement and solidarity.

For More Information, contact Ms. Aisha Raffay, UN Volunteers Field Unit-Tripoli, Libya

Tel: +218 (0) 94 4530184,

Email: aisha.raffay@undp.org

www.unvolunteers.org
www.onlinevolunteering.org
www.facebook.com/unvolunteers
www.youtube.com/unv