The Report describes the background to the Year, provides an overview of actions taken, presents conclusions and discusses the future.The Year was successful by any account. One hundred and twenty-three National Committees and scores of local, regional and state committees were formed. The official web site received close to 9 million hits. A heightened recognition of the role of volunteerism in development resulted from the plethora of activities, including efforts to measure the contributions of volunteers, in every part of the world. There were marked improvements in legislative frameworks and national and local infrastructure for voluntary action, and networks were established among stakeholders from Governments, the United Nations system, civil society, the private sector and elsewhere. These should help sustain many of the advances resulting from the Year.
