A February 1997 proposal of the Government of Japan was transmitted through the UN Secretary General be placed on the agenda of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) in July 1997.
Other speakers at the event included Capeling-Alakija; Felipe VI of Spain (then Prince of Asturias; Nadia Comaneci, Olympic Gold Medalist; representatives from the governments of Japan, Uganda and Brazil; Dr. Astrid Heiberg, then President of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC); Anita Roddick, then CEO of The Body Shop; Bernard Kouchner, then of UNMIK in Kosovo; Sergio Vieira de Mello, then of UNTAET in East Timor; UN Volunteers from the Philippines and Nigeria; and representatives from NetAid.
[8] Annan also appointed the former President of Ghana, Jerry Rawlings, as the first IYV Eminent Person, to help raise the profile of millions of volunteers working for peace and development around the world.
Other IYV Eminent Persons named for the year included Crown Prince Felipe, Roddick, and the former Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Dr. Nafis Sadik.
"This Declaration supports the right of every woman, man and child to associate freely and to volunteer regardless of their cultural and ethnic origin, religion, age, gender, and physical, social or economic condition.
[10][11] In the US, the Points of Light Foundation and the Association of Junior Leagues International (AJLI) partnered to convene and lead the IYV USA Steering Committee.
[12] On 29 March 2001, the United Nations Postal Administration (UNPA) issued a set of six commemorative stamps and a souvenir card in honor of IYV.
[20] According to a press release by UNV in October 2001, lawmakers in France, Germany, Spain and the UK passed pro-volunteer legislation in 2001, and new laws were proposed in Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador, Madagascar, Mozambique, Nepal, Senegal and Tanzania.
The press release says the toolkit was adapted for use in Botswana, China, Lao PDR, Kazakhstan and Mongolia, and that research on volunteering had begun in Cambodia, Madagascar, Namibia, Sri Lanka and Tanzania.
Whether you work individually or gathered together in special associations, you represent for children, the elderly, the sick, people in difficulty, refugees and the persecuted a ray of hope that pierces the darkness of solitude and encourages them to overcome the temptations of violence and egotism.
[27] Worldwide volunteer activities of the Vienna-based NGO community were presented at the Vienna International Centre on 11 December 2001 to mark IYV 2001 and the International Day of Human Rights, jointly organized by the United Nations Information Service Vienna (UNIS) and CONGO (Conference of NGOs in consultative relationship with the UN).
A global conference on 'Volunteering for a sustainable future' was held 15–17 September in Budapest in partnership with the IFC and the International Association for Volunteer Effort.