2030 Agenda Calls for Just, Tolerant World: UN`s Guterres

The Secretary-General of the United Nations António Guterres sent a message to the world on the occasion of the International Volunteer Day.

The speech started talking about the aims of the 2030 agenda and mentioned some of them.

"The 2030 Agenda calls for a just, equitable, tolerant, open and socially inclusive world in which the needs of the most vulnerable are met," he said.

Guterres added: "Volunteerism is a powerful mechanism to engage people, especially those left farthest behind, in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. When people volunteer they connect with others and foster a sense of purpose."

He went on saying: "This year’s International Volunteer Day (IVD) theme, ‘Volunteer for an Inclusive Future’, celebrates that, through volunteering, people make meaningful contributions to more inclusive and equalitarian societies."

"By voluntary actions, people on the margins can become more included in societies. For example, the ’#HerStory initiative’, with 500 volunteer editors throughout the Arab States, has increased the representation of women in the Arabic-language Wikipedia, achieving more gender inclusiveness in the culture of the region. UN Volunteers in the Accessible India Campaign augmented accessibility for people with disabilities by auditing 1,600 public buildings across," Guterres said.

He concluded his message saying: "25 major cities and in refugee camps throughout the globe, displaced people themselves are volunteering for children’s education and better intercultural understanding."

Noteworthy, the International Volunteer Day for Economic and Social Development (5 December), more commonly referred to as International Volunteer Day (IVD), is an international observance mandated by the UN General Assembly in 1985.

It offers an opportunity for volunteer-involving organizations and inpidual volunteers to promote volunteerism, encourage governments to support volunteer efforts and recognize volunteer contributions to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at local, national and international levels.