“The decisions and actions of individuals may seem insignificant in the face of global messages,” he said in a message for the Day. “But when people choose to devote their time and energy, they can, together, make a difference.”
Mr. Ban pointed to the recent “Seal the Deal” and “Volunteering for our Planet” campaigns as examples of how volunteers are shaping the world.
“Volunteerism is a source of community strength, resilience, solidarity and social cohesion,” he said, ranking it “among society's most vital assets.”
The Secretary-General thanked volunteers worldwide, in particular the 8,000 UN Volunteers (UNV), who give their time to guard the environment and further the causes of peace and development.
He also recognized the two UNV volunteers who were killed in Afghanistan in October, as well as to all those who have lost their lives volunteering for the UN. “Their service and dedication to the United Nations will not be forgotten.”
Source: UN News
Global 
-
-
-
U.S. President Barack Obama's top Russia adviser has said that diplomats from Washington and Moscow will likely meet in the coming weeks to work on a new UN Security Council draft resolution targeting the Syrian government over its bloody crackdown on antigovernment protesters.
-
More than 500 protesters have gathered in Moscow's Pushkin Square to demand more government funding for science and scientists in Russia.
-
Anders Hjemdahl of the Stockholm-based Institute for Information on the Crimes of Communism talked to RFE/RL about why Western Europeans seem to know so little about the communist past.
-
The Paris prosecutor's office has dropped an investigation into a French writer's claim that former International Monetary Fund chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn tried to rape her.
-
A prominent member of a Russian anarchist street-art collective who faced jail for overturning a police car has had the charges against him lifted.
-
The Slovak parliament has approved expanding the powers of the European Union's bailout fund.
-
A Prague court has ruled that former Belarusian presidential candidate Ales Mikhalevich should not be extradited to Belarus.
Comments
|
Popular Right Now
Popular Commentary
New Reports
New World News
|
RSS
Twitter
Facebook
Google+