MESSAGE FROM SECRETARY-GENERAL MARKS INTERNATIONAL VOLUNTEER DAY 5 DECEMBER
Press Release
SG/SM/5833
MESSAGE FROM SECRETARY-GENERAL MARKS INTERNATIONAL VOLUNTEER DAY 5 DECEMBER
19951204 Following is the text of the message from Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali on the occasion of International Volunteer Day observed on 5 December:This year, half a century of United Nations activity has been marked in every region of the world and by a special session of the General Assembly. We have recalled the historic acts of will in the mid-1940s, when nations set out on a new path of cooperation based on the principles contained in the Charter of the United Nations and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Fifty years on, the achievements of the United Nations have been remarkable, but conflict and poverty still afflict the international community, amid preoccupation with domestic issues and constraints. Only renewed acts of will and resolve on the part of States and of peoples can ensure that the goals of peace and prosperity for all are kept firmly in view.
Volunteering is just such an act of will. Today in scores of countries, volunteers -- including several thousand United Nations Volunteers -- demonstrate this resolve by helping the United Nations build peace, affirm democracy, promote human rights, relieve suffering and work for sustainable human development.
Every community has its volunteers. It has never been more urgent that they come forward, as the gaps between the richer and poorer in terms of money, resources, technology and information threaten to widen rather than narrow.
On this Tenth International Volunteer Day many more volunteers will pledge themselves to working in their own societies and across frontiers of all kinds to advance peace and prosperity within their lifetimes. No cause is of greater importance; no achievement will bring greater satisfaction. May that be the dream which inspires volunteers to continue to support and help the United Nations in its next 50 years.
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