A/RES/66/67 3. Commends the contributions from national and international volunteers for their fundamental role in disaster prevention and recovery, most recently evidenced by their performance in the aftermath of natural catastrophes in many parts of the world, such as mass landslides and floods in south-eastern Brazil and the devastating earthquake that struck eastern Japan in March 2011; Also commends the increasing link between volunteerism and sports, 4. which, through the invaluable contributions of national and international volunteers to the preparation and organization of major sport events such as the Olympic and the Paralympic Games, contributes to the promotion of the ideal of peace; Recognizes the valuable contribution of volunteering, including 5. traditional forms of mutual aid and self-help and other forms of civic participation, to social and economic development, thus benefiting society at large, communities and volunteer networks; Encourages Member States to support the setting-up of knowledge and 6. information platforms, as well as focal points at the international, regional, national and local levels, in order to foster the sharing of resources and good practices of volunteerism that could be adapted, implemented, replicated and scaled up on a sustained basis; Encourages Member States and volunteers to take appropriate steps to 7. enhance the protection of volunteers, and also encourages the adoption of good practices in the promotion and management of volunteerism; Reaffirms the need to recognize and promote all forms of volunteerism in 8. order to engage and benefit all segments of society, including women, children, young persons, older persons, persons with disabilities, minorities, migrants and those who remain excluded for social or economic reasons; Acknowledges the importance of civil society organizations to the 9. promotion of volunteerism, and in that respect recognizes that strengthening the dialogue and interaction among Member States, the United Nations and civil society contributes to the expansion of volunteerism; 10. Takes note that volunteerism contributes to human development, and invites Governments to integrate volunteering more fully into peace and development programmes and initiatives, which offer opportunities to build strong and cohesive volunteer coalitions around shared goals at the local, national, regional and international levels; 11. Also takes note of the actions taken by Governments to support and promote volunteerism, and reiterates its call upon them to continue such action; 12. Calls upon the relevant organizations and bodies of the United Nations system to further recognize and integrate volunteerism in its various forms into their policies, programmes and reports, recognizes the contributions of volunteers and volunteer organizations, and encourages their participation in future United Nations and other relevant international conferences; 13. Recognizes the importance of further involving all relevant partners, including civil society, and facilitating their coordination and cooperation towards creating an enabling environment where individuals can engage in volunteer activities and promoting the well-being of volunteers, welcomes in this regard the expanding involvement of the private sector in support of volunteerism, and encourages its further engagement through the expansion of corporate volunteering and employee volunteer activities; 2