OEA - CIDI - Resolución CIDI INF 694 rev 2

ORGANIZATION OF AMERICAN STATES

Inter-American Council for Integral Development (CIDI) OEA/Ser.W CIDI/INF.694/26 rev. 2 30 January 2026

Original: Spanish

DECLARATION TO MARK INTERNATIONAL DAY OF VOLUNTEERING

FOR ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT

(Read by the Delegation of Ecuador at the regular meeting of CIDI held on January 30, 2026, with the co-sponsorship of the delegations of Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Panama, Peru, the Dominican Republic, Suriname, and Uruguay) As part of the commemoration of the International Day of Volunteering for Economic and Social Development that was established by the United Nations General Assembly, and considering that the United Nations has proclaimed 2026 as the International Year of Volunteers for Sustainable Development, twenty-five years since the celebration of the first International Year of Volunteering, of Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Panama, Peru, the Dominican Republic, Suriname, and Uruguay, hereby reaffirm their commitment to the work of volunteers in the Americas. Volunteering, by strengthening social capital, enhancing local capacities, and promoting productive inclusion and economic development, contributes significantly to building societies that are more cohesive and resilient. Volunteering features a key ability to mobilize knowledge, innovation, and technical assistance, speed up solutions at the community level, and generate value added at the local, regional, and international levels. Its role is especially significant in promoting entrepreneurship, notably among women and young people, through mentoring programs, support networks, and personalized support to facilitate income generation and job creation. In addition, by building within communities relationships marked by trust and cooperation, volunteering fosters more supportive environments, positioning it as a key pillar for promoting peace and strengthening collective capacity to address social challenges. Volunteering therefore serves as a social support mechanism that sustains

the community fabric and underpins local recovery processes, thereby helping economies to become more inclusive, participatory, and adaptive in the face of uncertainty. In marking International Volunteer Day, the delegations therefore convey their deepest appreciation to volunteers, who use their time, skills, and knowledge to support communities and contribute to economic and social development, fostering cooperation, transfer of skills and knowledge, promoting employability, collaboration, economic inclusion, participation, and access to opportunities, thereby playing an important role in civil society. We invite the member states to continue promoting solidarity using volunteerism as a way to address society’s needs, problems, and interests through the associations or foundations in which they operate organizing themselves more systematically and synergistically, or even through individual efforts. Washington, D.C., January 30, 2026