President Asif Ali Zardari has stressed the need for recognising and utilising the power of volunteerism to promote peace, harmony and development around the world. "We need to recognise and utilise the power of volunteerism to promote peace, harmony and development not only in Pakistan but around the world," the President said in his message on the occasion of International Volunteer's Day observed every year on December 5.
He said, the day is being observed "to show common concern for welfare of whole community and re-dedicate ourselves, for this noble cause selflessly and dedicatedly." The President said, "it is reassuring that the government has encouraged volunteerism by developing infrastructure and volunteers are now participating in service delivery in all walks of life." He, however, added that as volunteerism and social work cannot be accomplished anywhere without the active participation of the people, "it is therefore, important that philanthropists, civil society organisations and NGOs come forward and supplement provision of various types of services for the welfare of the people." The President said global trends towards greater self-help, decentralisation, participatory democracy and networking all have contributed to encouraging citizen participation and volunteerism.