Over the years, IVD has evolved and become a bigger event than before. Volunteers increasingly find novel ways to revel the occasion. By combining United Nations support with a grassroots mandate, the day is a unique opportunity for people and volunteer-involving organizations to work with government agencies, non-profit institutions, community groups, academia, and the private sector – to further weave together values of compassion and solidarity.  

The Deputy Executive Coordinator of the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme, Ms Kyoko Yokosuka, and UNV Regional Manager for Latin America and the Caribbean, Ms Lita Paparoni, visited Mexico. They met with representatives of different UN entities, including the UN Development Programme (UNDP), UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), UN Population Fund (UNFPA), UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), UN Women, UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the Resident Coordinator's Office (UNRCO).

The celebrations we had in the region were as diverse as they were engaging.

According to the United Nations, women make up 57 per cent of volunteers globally. In the case of Venezuela, at least 60 per cent of the UN Volunteers serving in the country are women. This figure is even higher in the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) in Venezuela, since the agency hosts 20 per cent of the total number of UN Volunteers serving in the country.