ISLAMABAD, Dec 5: The International Volunteers Day was observed here on Tuesday with the hope that more and more Pakistanis would start volunteering and making difference in the national life.

There was an outburst of volunteerism following last year’s devastating earthquake but the level of sentiments could not be sustained.

The international day was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in December 1985 and since then many governments and civil society organizations have successfully joined volunteers around the world to celebrate the Day on December 5 every year.

It provides an opportunity for volunteer involving organizations and individuals to make visible their contributions to economic and social development.

On the occasion, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, in his message, expressed his sincere gratitude to all men and women who share their skills and talents with the world, and hope that many more will follow their example.

Four volunteer organizations in Pakistan - National Volunteers Movement (NVM), National Commission for Human Development (NCHD), Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) and United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme - celebrated the day together to accord recognition to volunteers and their contributions, and further promote volunteerism in Pakistan.

The theme of this year’s celebrations was ‘volunteers bring a change.’ The NVM hosted a photo exhibition in its premises to create awareness about volunteerism. NVM was established by the government on November 1, 2005 to provide a platform for public participation in community building and to create a ready pool of individuals that could be mobilised to act swiftly and effectively in natural and man-made disasters. The NVM is launching the Clean Pakistan Campaign on December 10 in Lahore and going to start the same in other cities in 2007.

The NCHD works to promote human development in Pakistan since 2002. It works to achieve the United Nations Millennium Development Goals particularly related to primary education and health care through the participation of volunteers. It has mobilised a group of 125,000 volunteers across Pakistan.

NCHD celebrated the Day by displaying banners, holding walks and seminars, acknowledging volunteers through shields and certificates.

VSO is an international development organization that works through volunteers. VSO has been working in Pakistan since 1987 and its current programmes focus on primary education, HIV, AIDS, participation and governance and supporting the national volunteering programmes. Currently there are 21 volunteers from UK, Philippines, Canada and the Netherlands supporting local organizations in parts of NWFP and Punjab.

UNV is the UN organization that supports sustainable human development globally through the promotion of volunteerism, including the mobilisation of volunteers. Presently, there are 40 national and international volunteers serving in UN agencies, government and NGOs, and majority of them are working for the earthquake response.