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EU Presidency Statement - Social development and volunteerism

Mme Chairperson, Excellencies, Distinguished delegates,

On behalf of the European Union, I am pleased to take the floor on agenda item 3 (a) (ii) Volunteerism in the promotion of social development. The Central and Eastern European countries associated with the European Union, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia and the Associated countries Cyprus, Malta and Turkey as well as the EFTA country member of the EEA Norway align themselves with this statement.

First of all, allow me to commend the Secretary-General and the Secretariat, as well as the Dutch Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport, for their contributions to the preparations of this year's theme.

The European Union welcomes this opportunity to highlight voluntary action as a valued component of social development. We are also looking forward to continue these discussions during the 56th session of the General Assembly in the autumn.

The observance of the International Year of Volunteers offers a unique opportunity to raise awareness of the important contributions by volunteers and voluntary actors to social development. The United Nations Volunteers has played a decisive role in the preparation and realisation of this event.

In its many forms, volunteering has a vital role in building trust and solidarity. Moreover, volunteering has proved to be a source for reconciliation and reconstruction. The active participation of citizens and civic organisations - local and national - is a prerequisite for a well-functioning democracy.

Turning to international co-operation, the EU believes that it should encourage an active civil society. Many EU Member States have a long-standing practice of seconding volunteers to development projects. Civil society organisations, including voluntary actors, can be of assistance to public services and an important resource for local, national and international social policies. The EU welcomes a strengthened co-operation with civil society organisations on all levels and supports an exchange of experience between these organisations nationally, as well as internationally. The EU has been working on a coherent strategy for the further development of its support to voluntary action. The strategy will be a subject for discussion at the upcoming seventh European conference on social economy.

The experience from the different regional initiatives is the point of departure for the report contained in the Annex to the note of the Secretary-General. Allow me to briefly highlight some of the initiatives in this report which could be included in this Commission's recommendations:

• improved access to information on government policies and programmes, as well as information on networking and other local initiatives and best practices
  
  
• information to public personnel and business on local and national level on how to work in partnership with volunteers and voluntary organisations in order to extend the range and scope of volunteer activities
  
  
• development of co-ordinated and comprehensive government policy to facilitate and support volunteering
  
  
• exchange of knowledge and sharing of best practices on how to create an enabling environment for volunteering in society, including placement and training of volunteers
  
  
• intensified research about volunteering, in order to create more accurate statistics and to better understand the role and scope of voluntary action and the infrastructure that is required to best meet the needs of volunteers.

In conclusion, Mme Chairperson, volunteerism is an important expression of civil participation. In partnership, with governments and the private sector, voluntary actors are a force in social development, poverty eradication, social integration and the empowerment of disadvantaged people. In this regard, the EU welcomes the joint resolution on volunteering and social development by Japan and the Netherlands. Since voluntary action is the outcome of the choice of individuals and groups who wish to participate actively in the development process, it is important for Governments to recognise the independent nature and value of their contribution, support their activities and focus on co-operation. Voluntary actors, however, can and should never replace the responsibility of governments towards their citizens.

Thank you, Mme Chairperson.

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