Origin of Volunteers’ Day
International Volunteer Day has been celebrated every 5 December since 1986. Almost a year earlier, on 17 December 1985, the UN General Assembly – one of the principal organs of the United Nations – set the date for the day.
Born as International Volunteer Day for Economic and Social Development in resolution A/RES/40/212, a document that ‘invites governments (…) and urges them to take action to raise awareness of the important contribution of voluntary service, thereby encouraging more people in all walks of life to volunteer their services’.
As the UN itself explains, the day not only serves to highlight the solidarity work of volunteerism in all its facets, but also ‘to pay special tribute to all volunteers working to achieve the new global goals’.
According to information from the United Nations, the organisation of International Volunteer Day is the result of collaboration between the UN itself and different governments, volunteer organisations and representatives from various fields such as the media, academia, foundations and even sports and recreational organisations.
Volunteer Day 2024
The Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres – in office since 2017 – stresses that ‘we all have a responsibility to build a better world’, which is why this day pays ‘tribute to the women and men who dedicate time, energy and skills to making the world a healthier, more peaceful and humane place for all’.
The Portuguese leader sums up the importance of Volunteers’ Day in a message for the 2024 edition, explaining that these people “represent the best of humanity”, and appeals to them to be an inspiration “to help create a better world for all”.
International Year of Volunteering
In this historical overview of the origins of International Volunteer Day it is interesting to add that in 1997 it was established that 2001 would be the International Year of Volunteering.
At the proposal of the Government of Japan and co-sponsored by 123 of the UN Member States – currently the organisation has 193 countries – the designation of the Year of Volunteering was made because of its ‘essential contribution to addressing social, economic, cultural, humanitarian and peace-building problems’.
The declaration of a specific year dedicated to this theme arose precisely so that the development of volunteers could be offered in a more effective way, and according to the United Nations ‘there was a need for greater recognition and facilitation of volunteer work, networks to obtain the best practices of volunteers and to promote volunteering with more determination’.
Telefónica and volunteers
Telefónica, through its foundation, promotes and channels the solidarity participation of employees, making their vocation as agents of change a reality and putting their digital skills at the service of society to combat social and digital vulnerability. The programme is today one of the world’s leading corporate volunteering initiatives, with more than 59,000 committed employees around the world who benefit more than 1.5 million people every
It also joins forces with different social entities and institutions to maximise the impact of its projects.
Telefónica International Volunteer Day
One of the most iconic days for the company and the maximum exponent of Telefónica’s spirit of solidarity is DIVT: International Telefónica Volunteers Day.
In its 2024 edition – which took place on 7 June in 27 countries – more than 25,000 employees of the company participated simultaneously with more than 300 social entities in 1,320 activities which, as we mentioned earlier, sought to reduce digital and social vulnerability, impacting more than 240,000 people on this day alone.
