Commission for Social Development

Thirty-ninth Session

5^th Meeting (AM)

ACTION BY VOLUNTEERS MUST BE FACTORED INTO NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES,

SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION TOLD

While most governments acknowledged and took pride in the fact that volunteering was deeply embedded in national cultures through traditions of caring and sharing, they did not see voluntary action as something to be taken into account in national development strategies, Miguel Darcy Oliveira, Coordinator of the Institute for Cultural Action (IDAC), told the Commission for Social Development this morning.

The Commission was beginning its considerations of its sub-theme “The role of volunteerism in the promotion of social development”, and holding an expert panel discussion on that issue.

Mr. Oliveira, one of the panellists, said volunteering -– a social capital -- was very much alive in today's world and constituted a basic safety net. Hence, how governments structured social development policies influenced, for better or worse, the capacities of people and communities to participate in social programmes.  Government action either stimulated and enhanced volunteer involvement, or discouraged it. 

Michael Bürsch, Chairman of the German parliament’s Study Commission on the Future of Civic Activities, stressed that volunteering must not justify State withdrawal from social responsibility, but rather complement State action in a sensible manner. 

He went on to say that while international volunteering was smoothing the path towards “politics without frontiers”, volunteerism and active citizenship must originate not in the global society, but in the local community.  A global civil society must be founded on local civil societies.

Joan Denise Daries, Director of the Volunteer Centre of Cape Town and Chairperson of both the National International Year of Volunteerism Committee of South Africa and the South African National Aid Council Task Force, said the principles of inclusiveness and mutual benefit had to be maintained to preserve the integrity of volunteers.  Volunteerism must also not detract from the desperate need for paid employment but should help to create jobs instead.  “We need to recognize that volunteering is an important resource for development”, she added.

During a dialogue segment with non-governmental organizations (NGOs), the representative of the United Methodist Church-General Board of Global Ministries

pleaded with the Commission to help save communities that were perishing from HIV/AIDS, especially in Africa.  Governments should provide social protection for affected persons and their families.  Since a majority of the persons who became infected and died were either in the workforce, or were caregivers, governments needed to have programmes to support the families left behind, especially the children who were now household heads without any kind of insurance or economic support. 

Sharon Capeling-Alakija, Executive Director of the United Nations Volunteer Programme, made an introductory statement and noted that this was the first time that volunteering was being discussed at such a high-level forum.

Justin Davis Smith, Founding Director of the Institute for Volunteering Research and Dasho Meghraj Gurung, Managing Director of the Bhutan Post and Vice-Chairperson of the National International Year of Volunteers’ Committee of Bhutan also took part in the expert panel discussion.

The American Association of Retired Persons, Pax Christi International, International Federation of Settlements and Neighbourhood Centres, International Federation on Ageing and the International Longevity Centre all made statements during the dialogue with NGOs.

The Commission will meet again at 3 p.m. today to continue its consideration of its sub-theme.

Background

The Commission for Social Development met this morning to begin considerations of its sub-theme entitled “The role of volunteerism in the promotion of social development”. 

The Commission had before it four statements submitted by non-governmental organizations (NGOs) on its sub-theme (see documents E/CN.5/2001/2,3,5 and 6).

The Commission will also hold an expert panel discussion on its sub-theme.  The panellists are:  Justin Davis Smith, Founding Director of the Institute for Volunteering Research; Miguel Darcy Oliveira, Coordinator of the Institute for Cultural Action (IDAC); Dasho Meghraj Gurung; Managing Director of the Bhutan Post and Vice-Chairperson of the National International Year of Volunteers’ Committee of Bhutan; Michael Bürsch, Member of the German Federal Parliament and Chairman of the Parliamentary Commission on the future and Social Civic Participation; and Joan Denise Daries, Director of the Volunteer Centre of Cape Town and Chairperson of both the National International Year of Volunteers Committee of South Africa and the South African National Aid Council Task Force.

In addition to the expert panel discussion, the Commission is also expected to hold a dialogue segment with NGOs.

For background details on the thirty-ninth session see press release SOC/4556 dated 9 February.

      Opening Statement

SHARON CAPELING-ALAKIJA, Executive Director of the United Nations Volunteer Programme, noted in her introductory statement that this was the first time that volunteering was being discussed at such a high-level forum.

She said that 111 committees around the world were supporting the International Year of Volunteers.  The observance of the International Year was intended not only as a celebration of volunteering, but also to mark a time of change.  The Programme, with its 5,000 volunteers in some 150 countries around the world, looked forward to an exchange of ideas that would help to take volunteering into the future.

      Panel Discussion

JUSTIN DAVIS SMITH, founding director of the Institute for Volunteering Research (United Kingdom), said that despite the various forms by which voluntary action could be defined – in terms of philanthropy, self-help, representation or advocacy -- each form could be found to some extent in all countries.  Volunteering could be found in the public sector and increasingly in the private sector.  As people became more distrustful of the role of governments, they were looking increasingly for partnerships with State and civil agencies. 

He said volunteerism was also being portrayed in a much more favourable light and shedding some of its negative images.  In the United Kingdom, volunteerism was one of the top five contributors to the gross domestic product (GDP).  However, governments should avoid imposing control and act more as a provider of funds and promotion, a key employer to encourage public participation, and as an enabler to create the space for volunteering.  A major challenge to governments was how to support volunteerism without stifling its very spirit and life-blood.

MIGUEL DARCY OLIVEIRA, Coordinator of the Institute for Cultural Action (IDAC), said most governments acknowledged and took pride in the fact that volunteering was deeply embedded in their national cultures through traditions of caring and sharing.  Yet those same governments did not factor in voluntary action as an aspect to be taken into account and used in national development strategies.  That was regrettable.  Volunteering, understood as social capital, was very much alive in today's world and was not a relic from the past.  It also made sense to many people, as it constituted a basic safety net.  Hence, what governments did in the way of structuring social development policies influenced, for better or worse, the capacities of people and communities to participate in social programmes. 

He said government action either stimulated and enhanced volunteer involvement, or discouraged it.  Volunteerism was a dynamic force and could contribute to legitimizing government programmes, making them more efficient while strengthening people’s trust.  One had to ask how governments could play an enabling and empowering role without stifling the autonomy of volunteering.  Trust-building and cooperation between partners was a learning experience for all players involved.  Cooperation and the mobilization of strategies was what reinforced and strengthened partnerships.

He said cooperation among various different partners and stimulation by the government had achieved notable results in Brazil, particularly in addressing the issue of HIV/AIDS.  Opening up spaces for people’s participation in public programmes would create dynamism.  The underlining element was that volunteering was good for the beneficiaries of voluntary action, the volunteers themselves, the communities and governments.

DASHO MEGHRAJ GURUNG, Managing Director of the Bhutan Post and Vice-Chairperson of the National International Year of Volunteers Committee of Bhutan, said volunteerism was a traditional part of Bhutanese society.  Bhutan had only ended centuries of self-isolation 40 years ago.  Institutional arrangements of volunteerism had originally evolved from the Bhuddist principle of respect for all life, reflected in the prohibition on hunting for sport and the interest in environmental conservation.  Another principle was the close harmony between people and nature.

He said local forms of volunteerism included community gatherings, where elders presided and the people participated in determining the management of natural resources.  Challenges included uneven availability of those resources, due to the nature of the environment and the need for a balance between managing and conserving such resources as the forests.

The role of volunteers included cleaning up forests, collecting firewood and controlling forest fires, he said.  Another role involved restricting tree-felling and forest grazing to certain periods of the year.  Institutional arrangements had helped to promote indigenous knowledge of resource management.  However, it was necessary to guard against the exclusivity created by the bureaucratization of volunteerism.

JOAN DENISE DARIES, Director of the Volunteer Centre of Cape Town and Chairperson of both the National International Year of Volunteers Committee of South Africa and the South African National Aid Council Task Force, said a Southern African Development Community (SADC) conference convened in June last year had examined the traditional forms of volunteering and found that these practices were deeply rooted in traditional ways of life.  In South Africa, the failure of the apartheid government to provide services to particularly poor and rural black communities served to strengthen the culture of community care and the development of a strong activist volunteer corps.  As that corps or “young lions” clashed with the apartheid government, communities rallied to provide them with support, safe houses and protection from the police.

She said that in Africa, exposure to volunteerism happened through the advent of agencies such as the United Nations Volunteers, among many others.  The main objective of those groups was to provide expertise where there were shortages of qualified types of personnel.  In many African countries, international volunteers helped develop networks of local and national NGOs and provided critical services where governments fell short.  Those NGOs, in turn, acted on behalf of the people, as they did in South Africa, where they assisted the persecuted during periods of repression by the apartheid government. 

She said the practice of active volunteering had been incorporated into South Africa’s new democracy by the Government.  One million rand was injected each year into development programmes where there were three times more volunteers involved than paid staff.  There were, however, issues in volunteering that had to be addressed.  The principles of inclusiveness and mutual benefit had to be maintained to preserve the integrity of volunteers.  Volunteerism must also not detract from the desperate need for paid employment but should help to create jobs instead.  “We need to recognize that volunteering is an important resource for development”, she added.

MICHAEL BURSCH, Chairman of the German parliament’s Study Commission on the Future of Civic Activities, stressed that volunteering was not a sacrifice made reluctantly or out of duty.  It should ultimately be fun for the individual and productive for the community at the same time.  Volunteering must not justify State withdrawal from social responsibility, but rather complement State action in a sensible manner.

He noted that with the globalization of the economy, culture and consumer goods, civil society was beginning to form worldwide networks and international NGOs.  New approaches were extremely important if social development and the interests of the citizens were to be powerfully and effectively asserted vis-à-vis those of States and business in the process of economic globalization.

International volunteering was smoothing the path towards “politics without frontiers”, he said.  Nevertheless, volunteerism and active citizenship must originate not in the global society, but in the local community.  A global civil society must be founded on local civil societies.  Volunteering, civic activities, civic participation, social responsibility, social learning, corporate volunteering and corporate citizenship began at home, in a local community.

      Responses to Questions

Responding to a question from the representative of Sweden, Mr. BURSCH said there was a need for a better legal framework covering all aspects of practical volunteerism, including bureaucratic barriers.  It was also necessary to strengthen local participation and to delegate control.  A new social contract was required so that the people could play their part in getting things done.

Mr. OLIVEIRA told another questioner that the diversity of volunteerism was not fully realized.  New issues were becoming subjects for volunteers and it was necessary to give them greater visibility so as to create the basis for better and stronger joint voluntary action.  A conceptual shift was also required in order to use new information technologies in promoting the inclusion and participation of the elderly, those in prison and young people at risk.

Ms. CAPELING-ALAKIJA, Executive Director of the United Nations Volunteer Programme, described the International Year of Volunteers as the beginning of a bottom-up voyage of discovery.  The General Assembly would hold discussions in December on what governments and the United Nations could do to foster a culture of ongoing volunteerism.  It was hoped that the Year would not be a one-off observance and that volunteerism would remain on the Commission’s agenda after the end of 2001.

Mr. SMITH told the representative of Finland that the boundaries of volunteerism were blurred at the edges.  It was difficult to determine the boundaries in the case of corporate volunteering, when people participated in voluntary action because their promotion prospects depended on it.

There was a change in the image of volunteering, he reiterated.  While service to others remained key, the importance of self-interest, as well as mutuality and reciprocity was growing.  That shift held the key to the future of volunteerism.

Mr. BURSCH added that the question of hard definitions should not be emphasized too much.  Volunteers were not involved in mere charity.  There was also an element of self-interest, but their motives must ultimately involve public interest.

MR. SMITH said United Nations Volunteers had launched a toolkit which would enable countries to carry out national surveys on volunteering.  That toolkit was now available in hard copy format.

Responding to a question on putting an economic value on volunteering, he said that the United Kingdom had attempted to do that and had put the figure at around 40 million pounds sterling.  That was, however, a dangerous practice and “we are now moving beyond that and looking instead at issues such as broader societal value and the development of meaningful tools”.

He said there was a need to build space to measure diversity and the different manifestations of volunteerism throughout the world.  While it was possible to frame common questions, particular dimensions would have to be added based on settings. 

Responding to a question on legislation, he said that any attempt by governments to introduce volunteer-related legislation had to be carried out in consultation with other stakeholders.  Dialogue would safeguard the independence and spirit of volunteerism. 

He stressed that it also needed to be recognized that volunteering was not cost-free, even though it might be cost-effective.  Governments had to think about investing in the infrastructure.

MR. GURUNG said his country was looking at the ways to introduce legislation that did not compromise the spirit of volunteerism.

Responding to a question on the economic parameters of volunteerism, he said the method of economic measuring used in most countries was GDP.  That, however, did not measure volunteerism.  The time had come to incorporate into it areas that were not measured previously in national accounting.

MS. DARIES, responding to a question on sharing and mutual benefit, said there was fine balance between sharing and exploitation.  Politicians and civil servants should be seen to be actively involved in volunteerism.  It had to be seen by all as a shared experience.  That would reinforce the spirit of mutual sharing and caring.

Responding to a question on risks and related volunteer policies, she said much of what was being done by volunteers was being done informally.  It was also well known that many volunteers did what they did at great risk.  That was an important aspect of volunteerism to be addressed.

Responding to a question on the non-involvement of the poor in volunteering, MR. OLIVIERA said he disagreed with that assumption.  In his country, Brazil, it was the poor at the grass-roots level who provided the most help.  The real question to be addressed today was not the involvement of the poor but how different factions could interact with each other.  How could disconnected elements coalesce?

MR. SMITH said it was important to recognize that it was the more formal forms of volunteerism in the developed world that prevented the poor from getting involved.  There was much wider participation in the developing world.

Responding to a question on the autonomy of the voluntary sector, MR. BURSCH, said that was an issue which presented a dichotomy.  Autonomy was necessary, yet government involvement was required especially in the disbursement of funds from central authorities.

The representative of the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) said his organization had launched a postcard campaign requesting feedback from older persons on their contributions as volunteers.  Their responses had confirmed the outstanding roles they had played in volunteerism.  He requested that the results of the postcard campaign be incorporated into the revised plan of action on ageing.  The AARP also requested the Commission, in its deliberations, recognize the important contribution made by older persons as volunteers.

The representative of Pax Christi International said now was the time to research and hold up models of compliance with the International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention on Eliminating the Worst Forms of Child Labour. The Convention described child soldiers as one of the worst forms of child labour.  The arms trade was another major factor working against social protection and development.  “We would like to see the Commission become an effective voice for the victims of this lethal trade”, she stressed.  Also, internationally there were increasing efforts to provide professional training to prevent armed conflicts.  She asked that the Commission sponsor a study of that emerging movement, as a good practice in social development.

A representative of the International Confederation of Settlements and Neighborhood Centres described the organization’s relationship with governments as a contractual one, where it retained its autonomy and governments provided money.  The confederation provided services to children and the elderly and also worked with people infected with HIV/AIDS.  All those activities required funding.

She said that a strong voluntary sector, preferably involving non-profit organizations, was necessary for a strong, healthy and democratic community.  Volunteers must not be used as cheap substitutes for employees.  They also required training, definition of appropriate roles and productive employment.  It was necessary to eliminate barriers to voluntary action, such as costly building materials and unnecessary local regulations that hindered action.

A representative of the International Federation on Ageing said the organization was especially sensitive to aspects of demographic change.  For several years there had been a focus on the huge growth in the numbers of older persons.  People were living longer all over the globe.  However, the impact of that population growth had only very lately begun to be understood from the linked perspectives of social and economic needs.

She stressed that no planning should take place without the participation of those affected, so that their wishes, needs and concerns were adequately heard and understood.  It was not enough to consider only what resources were available and how they could be enhanced.  It was equally important to consider that people themselves were resources, especially the growing number of older

persons worldwide.  The Federation urged that the economic and social factors inherent in the current deliberations of the Commission, the Second World Assembly on Ageing, and the financing for development meetings be integrated to complement each other.

The representative of the International Longevity Center United States (ILC USA) said a substantial period at the end of life was marked by unavoidable frailty and the need for care.  The advantages to the frail aged staying at home were strong, since the costs of institutional care were prohibitive.  Countries should, therefore, watch for changes to the systems of informal care, since factors such as migration were currently weakening the supply of family caregivers.  The ILC USA recommended the development of an international and inter-generational health care corps that was similar to the Peace Corps.  That health care entity would involve the family, civil society, the private sector, and the international community, and would strive to meet the health needs of all people of all ages.

The representative of the United Methodist Church-General Board of Global Ministries said that it was clear that social protection was under attack everywhere.  Her organization was involved in preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS.  She pleaded with the Commission to help save perishing communities, especially in Africa.  Governments should provide social protection for affected persons and their families.  Since a majority of the persons who became infected and died were either in the workforce or were caregivers, governments needed to have programmes to support the families left behind, especially the children who were now household heads without any kind of insurance or economic support.  She also urged the development of strategies to enable governments to monitor themselves, to root out corruption, and to be transparent so that they could effectively regulate the economic life of their societies.

FAITH INNERARITY, (Jamaica), Commission Chairperson, said, in response to a question, that in cases where people were sentenced to community work, the aim was not to punish them but to rehabilitate them.  Court-ordered community work was intended to resocialize the offender and instill the importance of community values.  Involuntary community work should be seen in a positive, rather than a negative, light.

Ms. DARIES, Director of the Volunteer Centre of Cape Town, cited examples from Africa, saying that people sentenced to community service usually gained a positive experience and subsequently became lifelong volunteers.

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