UN chief encourages people to give on International Day of Charity

UNITED NATIONS (Xinhua) - UN Secretary-General Ban Ki- moon on Friday called on people to act on the charitable impulse to start giving and to keep on giving.

"Let us recognize charity for what it is at heart: a noble enterprise aimed at bettering the human condition," Ban said in a message for the second observance of the International Day of Charity, which fell on Friday.

Charity may come in many forms, from the volunteering of time and expertise to straightforward financial or in-kind donations by individuals, corporations or philanthropic foundations, he said.

"At times of intense fiscal and budgetary constraint, charity takes on greater importance in global efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals and implement what we hope will be an ambitious post-2015 agenda," Ban noted.

It is also important to remember that charity cannot be seen as a replacement or alternative to public spending, though it plays an invaluable complementary role, he said.

"On this International Day, I call on people everywhere to act on the charitable impulse that resides in every human being - to start giving and to keep on giving," the UN chief said.

The International Day of Charity was proclaimed last year by a UN General Assembly resolution essentially recognizing the role of charity in alleviating human suffering.

The Day is observed on Sept. 5 annually to commemorate the anniversary of the death of Mother Teresa, who received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 for her work with the poor, sick, orphaned and dying in Calcutta, India.