Home Achievements International Volunteer Day 2004

International Volunteer Day 2004

Thursday, 06 November 2008
To celebrate the IVD 2004 in Syria, on 3-5 of December, under the auspices of H.E. the Minister of State for the Red Crescent, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) through the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) Programme, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) and the Syrian Environmental Association (SEA) organized activities to:
  • promote the impact of Volunteerism
  • help achieve the MDGs through Volunteering
Many Volunteer-involving organizations had the chance to get together for the first time to: discuss the difficulties facing Volunteer work in Syria; find necessary solutions; and propagate the Voluntary ideology to mobilize more Volunteers and to involve them in social service at a deeper level.

The celebrations, planned and managed by the IVD 2004 Steering Committee, consisted of following events:
  1. A mini-marathon on December 3 to bring the Volunteering community together and raise awareness about Volunteerism and its importance in achieving MDGs in Syria. Over 2,000 people gathered for the event, mostly young adults and people with disabilities. Participants included over 600 Palestine refugees from around Syria.
  2. A Volunteering Day for Students on December 4 for local and international organizations, cultural centers and embassies to promote their activities focused on Volunteerism and MDGs. This event was intended to expose students to various local and international organizations involved in Volunteerism, educational and development activities. 300 youth from Damascus University and other high-schools attended the event.
  3. A discussion forum on December 5 to raise awareness and highlight the importance of Volunteering in achieving MDGs, among government agencies, non-profit organizations, community groups, the private sector, and volunteer-involving organizations.
  4. A detailed report on the event was released and it summarizes Outputs and Recommendations of the International Volunteers Day (IVD) 2004 workshop on "The importance of Volunteerism in achieving Millennium Development Goals", and reflects views and opinions expressed by participants. IVD 2004 was a memorable day in the history of Syrian Volunteerism as all the events were successful and well attended.

Full Report