UNV launched its flagship publication on Volunteerism, ‘Volunteering in India: Contexts, Perspectives and Discourses’ for promoting the value addition that volunteers bring to national development priorities. The publication presents the viewpoints and experiences of eminent people and volunteers from different disciplines on the ethos, tradition and diversity of volunteering in the Indian Context.

International Volunteer Day (IVD) - (December 5) is an international observance designated by the United Nations since 1985. United Nations Volunteers (UNV) is the nodal UN agency that contributes to peace and development worldwide through volunteerism. To mark IVD 2012, UNV is using the established platform, Volunteer Action Counts—one that starts on December 5, 2012 and develops through 2013.

To support the Campaign and to mark IVD in India, UNV launched its flagship publication on Volunteerism, Volunteering in India: Contexts, Perspectives and Discourses for promoting the value addition that volunteers bring to national development priorities. The publication presents the viewpoints and experiences of eminent people and volunteers from different disciplines on the ethos, tradition and diversity of volunteering in the Indian Context. Some eminent people who have contributed to the publication include Mr. Natwar Thakkar, Gulzar, Dr. Vandana Shiva, Dr. Rajesh Tandon and many more who contributed for the publication in their respective thematic areas.

The book reflects on the challenges and opportunities to volunteering such as: changing social structures and new complexities in the social structure; increasing individualization; increasing episodic volunteering; motivations to volunteering-especially amongst youth; opportunities to volunteering due to conflicts in different layers of the society; growing inequalities; role of knowledge society and knowledge capital; mediated cultural representations, and role of entertainment education; volunteering amongst children- the articulation of prosocial behaviour and development; the centrality of volunteering in conflict situations and peace building; and the pedagogy of volunteerism- importance of volunteer research- academic orientation of volunteering.