5 December 2010 - On International Volunteer Day, which is also the day when the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme was established 40 years ago on 5 December, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon noted the work of millions of volunteers world-wide who give their time and talent to tackle global challenges.

"Volunteerism helps bring us together as individuals and societies. It is a powerful means of mobilizing all segments of society as active partners in building a better world," the Secretary-General added in a statement to mark the day.

The UN Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) too has its own heroes--precisely, 58 UN Volunteers, including 16 women, who are serving in difficult conditions across the country. The UN Country Team that includes UNDP and the various agencies has 19 UNVs serving in Afghanistan.

Vijay Dutta, 63, the oldest volunteer in the mission, who works as a site engineer, says his experience at UNAMA has been very interesting, especially the travels. "I've done other missions before, but this one is different as security takes top priority and my movements are restricted."

Dutta recently retired as a field-service staff member from the UN Mission in Liberia and joined UNAMA earlier this year to take on new challenges. In many ways, his attitude and enthusiasm is a microcosm of the commitment that UNVs bring to their jobs.

"UNVs are the backbones of the mission and play major role in most areas ranging from administration to engineering. In fact, at the engineering unit where I work, many key activities such as planning, designing and execution are undertaken by us," he adds.

Michael Stone, 28, is a training officer, who left behind a teaching job in April 2009 at a language school in London to move to Afghanistan and work with the UN. So far, he says, being a "UNV has been a fantastic experience. It is an opportunity to learn about the United Nations, and engage and work with the local community."

According to him, UNVs significantly increase the ability of missions to achieve their mandates by providing vital skills and expertise to the support and substantive sections. For example, UNAMA is able to increase the number of personnel in Afghanistan thanks to the work of UNVs in engineering; and UNVs in UNDP-ELECT have been helping the Afghan Government to hold elections in the country.

Being a UNV, of course, has its advantages. Dutta feels it gives young people an entry into the organisation and gives them better professional opportunities when they apply for corporate jobs later on. He, however, does feel that volunteers deserve "better perks, so there is an attraction to get better people."

International Volunteer Day, which is marked on 5 December world-wide, also celebrates the involvement of many other volunteers working with governments, NGOs, and civil society and in their own communities to improve the lives of people around them.