Organisation
Mr Wayne McDougall
President
Auckland Debating Association (Inc)
PO Box 3233
AUCKLAND
Dear Mr McDougall
Thank you for your letter of 23 May requesting the Government's support for the proposal before ECOSOC to designate the year 2001 as the Year of the Volunteer.
New Zealand is not currently a member of ECOSOC, and therefore will not be able to vote on the above proposal when it is considered in that forum. However, if the Council recommends to the United Nations General Assembly that the proposal be adopted, we will be happy to give it appropriate support.
Such support would be consistent with the New Zealand Government's recognition of the valuable work by volunteers. This financial year the Government contributed over NZ$9 million to Voluntary Agencies through New Zealand's Official Development Assistance programme. This included a grant of NZ$3.4 million to Volunteer Service Abroad (VSA) to support the placement of New Zealanders as volunteers abroad. As you probably know, VSA also helps in the recruitment and referral of UN Volunteers. Also included in the Government's grant to Voluntary Agencies was a contribution of NZ$3.5 million to the Voluntary Agencies Support Scheme to support the work of voluntary agencies in New Zealand.
Thank you for your interest in this subject.
Yours sincerely
Rt Hon Don McKinnon
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade
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