Interview: Volunteerism is essential in sustainable development: UNV

BONN, Germany, March 1 — People’s voluntary involvement is essential in sustainable development, and the whole world should recognize the importance of volunteerism for development and peace, head of the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) program Flavia Pansieri said in an exclusive interview with Xinhua.

“People’s voluntary involvement is important. That is why programs like UNV are actively engaged in supporting and participating in dialogues around the preparation for the Rio+20 Conference on sustainable development,” said Pansieri.

The United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development will take place in Rio de Janeiro on 20-22 June. The global summit aims to secure renewed political commitment for sustainable development, assess the progress to date, and address new and emerging challenges.

Pansieri said the conference was important because the challenges the world faced today, and the decisions the international community had to make were going to require political will.

“But that is not enough,” she said. “If we – you, I , and everyone – don’t engage, participate and recognize our unsustainable lifestyles have to change, how can we expect to build a sustainable future for the generations after us?”

That is where the power of volunteering comes in, Pansieri said, adding that everyone should play a role and engage in the spirit of solidarity for our fellow human beings today and generations in the future.

Continued: http://balita.ph/2012/03/01/interview-volunteerism-is-essential-in-sustainable-development-unv/