Report Calls for Government to Make Time for SDGs
Volunteering New Zealand (VNZ) have today released their summary of the UN State of the World’s Volunteerism Report (2015) which presents how volunteering helps communities at local and international levels, and ties in to a universal agenda relevant to all seven billion of the world’s inhabitants. VNZ’s summary report presents VNZ’s own interpretation of the content released by the UN and how volunteers across New Zealand will contribute to the achievement of the UN-led Goals.
The 2015 UN Volunteers’ Report set in motion the formal UN resolution acknowledging volunteering effort as vital to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These Goals, of which New Zealand are a signatory, address areas of concern ranging from poverty to climate change.
Chief Executive of Volunteering New Zealand, Scott Miller, believes that by producing this summary report, more people will understand how volunteers’ efforts to transform governance at local, national and global contexts will become increasingly important.
By its nature, volunteerism has created opportunities for participation in society, and providing a spot at the table to include volunteers in the discussion of the SDGs has the potential to contribute to some major issues of our time.
“The UN report aims to inspire a global conversation about the role of volunteers in making governments worldwide more responsive to their people, so we are doing our bit to ensure people have the opportunity to understand how volunteerism provides the skills and expertise to transform governance in a variety of ways,” says Miller.
The influence New Zealand’s volunteers have at local, regional and global contexts are summarised in VNZ’s report.
Using content directly from the UN report and case-studies from VNZs own membership, the summary report provides examples of how volunteers are using their skills and knowledge in these spheres of governance.
By releasing the summary report during National Volunteer Week, Miller hopes that the New Zealand Government will ‘make time’ to ensure volunteers are central to any developments surrounding New Zealand’s commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals achievement.
The NZ Summary Report of the State of the World’s Volunteerism Report is available on the Volunteering New Zealand website: www.volunteeringnz.org.nz/state-volunteering.
Volunteering New Zealand (VNZ) is an association of New Zealand organisations that have a commitment to volunteering, such as volunteer centres, national and other organisations. Their mission is to promote, support and advocate for volunteering. www.volunteeringnz.org.nz
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