Governments should work to create a conducive environment for volunteerism as that can help in the implementation of policies and contribute towards the realisation of the sustainable development agenda, says a UN report.
The 'State of the World's Volunteerism Report-2015', which was released here today, also touches on the challenges in the field of volunteerism across the globe.
"For volunteerism to maximise its contribution to the common good, it needs an enabling environment.
"Where governments have created a conducive environment for civic engagement -- more particularly for volunteers to participate -- or where they have been responsive to volunteer -led community initiatives, more people participated in decision-making," the report said.
The report also highlights the positive effects of volunteerism across the world and, as an example, discusses a case related to the representation of women in local bodies in Nepal.
In 2007, Nepal's interim constitution mandated a 33 per cent quota for women in all local governance boards, including village development committees. However, in reality, women's representation in these bodies was found to be extremely low.
In order to counter the lack of progress, international volunteers and their partners in local women's organisations in Nepal provided leadership training to help women air their concerns. As a consequence of the training, women are starting to raise their voice on Nepalese local body boards.
"Volunteers can influence and shape social norms and values. A key influence for the success of volunteer-driven initiatives at the national level is the presence of a responsive government," the report said.
It further said that it was essential to have better collaboration between government and civil society.
"Enabling closer interaction between governments and civil society organisations can create a channel for volunteer engagement to enhance the capacity of governments to implement policy," it said.
The report also warned that there should be a level playing field for volunteerism.
"The world's poorest are often excluded from accessing formal forms of volunteering at national and global levels, meaning their voices are still not heard at national or global fora," the report added.
