Background

Background

　　Volunteers contribute significantly to the public welfare and progress of developed and developing countries, as part of both national and international programmes of humanitarian assistance, technical cooperation, social welfare, environmental protection and promotion of human rights, democratisation and peace. In recognition of the above, the United Nations General Assembly in its 52nd session on 20 November 1997 in Resolution 52/17, co-sponsored by 123 countries, decided to designate 2001 the International Year of Volunteers. With its main objectives of enhanced recognition, facilitation, networking and promotion of volunteering, IYV provided a unique opportunity to highlight the achievements of millions of volunteers worldwide and to encourage more people globally to engage in volunteer activities. The UN secretary-general Kofi Annan declared the official launching of IYV 2001 at the UN headquarters on November 28th, 2000. With the active promotion of the United Nations, IYV Committees have been established in more than 120 countries and five cities by now, including U.S.A., UK, Germany, Japan, Russia, Australia, New York and Hong Kong.

　　United Nations Volunteers (UNV), which belongs to UNDP, is an international focal point of IYV 2001 that is assigned by the UN General Assembly. Consigned by the Chinese government, the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation (MOFTEC) is fully responsible for implementing UNDP and UNV projects and for the international exchanges of volunteers. UNV started it's cooperation with China in 1981. Over the past 20 years, UNV has sent over 180 international UN Volunteers to China, whose specialty concentrate in education, health care, science and technology, environmental protection and poverty alleviation. China has also sent more than 160 Chinese UN Volunteers through UNV to over 30 developing countries in the field of agriculture, water conservation, medical care, computer and economic management.

　　The Central Committee of the Communist Youth League of China launched and implemented Chinese young volunteers program of all over the country at the end of 1993. The program has scored outstanding achievement in the past 7 years in many fields, such as poverty alleviation, education and illiteracy elimination, environmental protection, providing volunteer service for large events and community development. More than 80 million young people have provided volunteer services of over four billion hours. The volunteer service has become an effective way for most youths to participate in economic development, so as to contribute to social stability and to the improvement of people's living conditions. This work was fully ascertained by the Central leaders. President Jiang Zemin offered his autograph of Chinese Young Volunteers at the end of 1997. In January 2000, President Jiang made an important comment: "Young volunteer service is a noble cause in modern socialist China. It has a full display of the traditional Chinese virtue of taking pleasure in helping people and poverty alleviation. It is a cause full of promise. Trying to go well along this cause will be in favor of building up new era trends of dedication, friendship, mutual assistance and progress in the whole society. I hope you will press ahead in the new century, to carry forward the glorious tradition of our nation's youths, namely to strive steadily, to create continuously and to advance courageously, so as to make greater dedications for the great revival of the Chinese nation." Some Central leaders, such as Li Peng, Hu Jintao, Li Lanqing, Ding Guangen, Wu Yi have also shown their interests in volunteer services. They made comments respectively or participated in volunteer activities personally. Volunteer service initiatives has also obtained great support from State and government ministries and functionaries including the Organization Department, Publicity Department, and Civilization Department of CCCPC, State Development Planning Commission, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Personnel, Ministry f Finance, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Science and Technology, etc.

　　Taking advantage of IYV, MOFTEC and the Central Committee of Communist Youth League of China initiated to set up the China National Committee for IYV 2001 as the focal point of IYV 2001. The committee will plan and coordinate volunteer service activities during IYV, and to coordinate and instruct volunteer organizations of all levels and various types in China, to strengthen international cooperation to advance volunteer services in China. On March 8th, 2001, the State Council officially agreed to establish the Committee. With the approval the State Council, State Councilor Wu Yi took the position as the President of the Committee.