Statement by the Prime Minister of Canada

International Volunteer Day

December 5, 2011
Ottawa, Ontario

Prime Minister Stephen Harper issued the following statement on International Volunteer Day:

“On December 5, Canadians join with people across the world in celebrating International Volunteer Day. This day is an opportunity to give thanks to those who generously give their time, experience and expertise to make their communities stronger and more prosperous.

“Canadians are known around the world as a generous people and here at home we are immensely proud of our volunteers – from community leaders, to business leaders, to social innovators. This is why in January 2011, our Government announced a new volunteer awards program to recognize their contributions to Canadian society and encourage others to participate and make a difference in communities from coast to coast to coast.

“Today, as we celebrate International Volunteer Day, I encourage all Canadians to pay tribute to the outstanding work of volunteers, who selflessly give their time and energy to help others, and to be inspired to take time to volunteer themselves.”

 

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The Prime Minister’s Office – Communications

 

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).

Over the years, rallies, parades, community volunteering projects, environmental awareness, free medical care and advocacy campaigns have all
featured prominently on IVD.

Apart from mobilising thousands of volunteers every year, the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme works closely with partners and governments to establish national volunteer programmes 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.

In the lead-up to 5 December, UNV aims to showcase why volunteering matters and engage as many UN Volunteers as possible in responding to key volunteering issues. This will be done through a mix of discussion-point videos, a photo competition and bold social media engagement, all coming together on a dedicated and interactive webpage.

Virtual participation from all corners of our globe will ‘light up our world’ with photographs and testimonies of ongoing volunteer action. We aim to collect a photo from every country in the world. Meanwhile, snapshots of activities happening on and around 5 December will also be collected.

The campaign will culminate in a striking digital mosaic or ‘snapshot’ of our volunteering world, revealed on 7 December.

INTERNATIONAL VOLUNTEER DAY