United Nations Volunteers in Albania
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Volunteering brings benefits to both society at large and the individual volunteer. It makes important contributions economically as well as socially. It contributes to more cohesive societies by building trust and reciprocity among citizens.
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The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme is the focal point for volunteerism in the United Nations system. UNV is administered by the UN Development Programme and pursues distinctive contributions to human development through better access to opportunities and services and improved services delivery, greater inclusion and participation, and the mobilization of communities. UNV advocates the benefits of civic engagement and it integrates volunteerism into development planning. It also helps to mobilize volunteers in support of development objectives. Every year UNV directly mobilizes more than 7,500 volunteers for development projects and it operates OnlineVolunteering.org to connect development organizations with thousands of online volunteers worldwide. UNV volunteers are skilled professionals with an average age of 37 and 5-10 years of working experience. They work in more than 140 countries and 70 percent come from developing countries, with 40% volunteering within their own countries.
For more information see www.unvolunteers.org
 The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme firmly established itself in Albania in September 2001 in an effort to build on the Albanian Government's growing openness towards democratic governance and civic engagement and tap into the growing potential for - together with UNDP - working with civil society and the Government in promoting volunteering for development in Albania. A UNV Programme Officer was recruited to further develop the UNV programme and promote volunteerism. From 2001 to now, UNV Country Office has posted more than 40 International and more than 20 National volunteers.
On Volunteerism
Volunteerism is a Global phenomenon. At the launch of the International Year of Volunteers in 2001, the former UN Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan, declared that: "at the heart of volunteerism are the ideals of service and solidarity and the belief that together we can make the world a better place. In that sense, we can say that that volunteerism is the ultimate expression of what the United Nations is all about".
Despite the universality of volunteerism, the work of volunteers is largely invisible to many. What is not seen is generally neither counted nor included. As long as volunteerism remains invisible, its power can neither be harnessed nor used strategically in support of either developmental or humanitarian goals.
The recognition accorded to volunteers around the globe by the International Year of Volunteers 2001 went some way towards putting volunteering on the official agenda. If the Millennium Development Goals are to be met, it is not just governments and development agencies that have to be involved: the creativity, solidarity and energy of millions of people who volunteer their time and skills for a more equitable world have to be tapped.
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