SECRETARY-GENERAL, IN MESSAGE FOR INTERNATIONAL VOLUNTEER DAY, NOTES UNITED NATIONS IDEALS OF SERVICE, SOLIDARITY
Press Release
SG/SM/7241
SECRETARY-GENERAL, IN MESSAGE FOR INTERNATIONAL VOLUNTEER DAY, NOTES UNITED NATIONS IDEALS OF SERVICE, SOLIDARITY
19991130This is the text of a message from Secretary-General Kofi Annan for International Volunteer Day, 5 December 1999:
Each year, International Volunteer Day reminds us that the ideals of service and solidarity, which make up the heart of volunteerism underlie the very foundation of the United Nations. Volunteers serve in the interest of peace and goodwill, and in so doing, are indispensable to the functioning of communities worldwide. We have seen how these talented people can make a difference for the better, in the lives of those around them and in their own lives too. Moreover, they help form a sense of global citizenship and responsibility among all sectors of our society.
By their example, volunteers offer all of us an inspiration to help our neighbours. In places where intolerance and criminal activity abound, volunteers lead the struggle for safer, more harmonious communities. Their deeds of quiet heroism are also present in the less visible pursuits of life. They serve on schoolboards, they visit our prisons and they work in our hospitals.
Goodwill among neighbours lies at the heart of all religions, philosophical and ethical conduct. But in todays globalized society, the term neighbours encompasses not only those who live to either side of us, but also people on the other side of the world. Volunteers, who range over the whole planet on missions that take no account of borders, help us to foster peaceful co-existence throughout the world. Their actions demonstrate our interdependence, and the importance of practising good neighbourliness.
In recognition of the substantial contributions made by volunteers from all walks of life, I am proud to join them in celebrating International Volunteer Day.
* *** *