FORUM on International Volunteering

More babies are being delivered safely in Cambodia, more children are getting a basic education in Papua New Guinea, and farmers in Ghana have increased rice production, all thanks to the work of more than a thousand Australian volunteers. ...more

Today, on the International Volunteer Day for Economic and Social Development (IVD), international volunteer-based organizations around the world launch a year-long campaign aimed at better understanding, promoting and supporting volunteerism. Annually, the volunteer sector contributes US$ 400 billion to the global economy, according to the Johns Hopkins Center for Civil Society Studies.  But this contribution often goes unnoticed. ...more

The year 2011 marks the 10th anniversary of the International Year of Volunteers (IYV) in 2001. There’s opportunities throughout 2011 to showcase the diversity, breadth and depth of volunteering worldwide, raise the profile of volunteering and mobilize many more volunteers. ...more

The Australian Council for International Development (ACFID) is the peak council for Australian non-government organisations (NGOs) working in the field of international aid and development. ACFID has more than 70 members – including Australian Volunteers International (AVI) – operating in over 100 developing countries. ...more

Canada isn’t a big player on the global stage in terms of economic and financial resources. We don’t have military might, we don’t have much political clout, and at $5.2 billion – only .3 per cent of the country’s GNI – our aid budget is a drop in the bucket. In the past we have leveraged our rather meagre resources into a solid international role through creative ideas, skilled diplomacy, support for multilateral institutions, and a commitment to the principles of human rights and international justice. ...more

Between 15th-16th March, AVI hosted a meeting of the Executive Board of the International FORUM on Development Service (known as “FORUM”). As FORUM regularly commissions research on issues related to international volunteering – the Melbourne meeting was a great opportunity to help shape the theme and program of the 2010 Annual FORUM Conference as well as progress research plans and strategies for information sharing, learning and networking between FORUM representatives. AVI staff and FORUM Members directly benefited from the opportunity to work together in person and create a closer connection for cross-organisational linkages to strengthen the contribution of international volunteering. The flurry of email exchange since the meeting has been a testament to this! ...more

“On behalf of fellow members of the FORUM Executive Board, I would like to congratulate Brian Rockliffe of VSO on being awarded an OBE in the UK New Year Honours List. The award was given for “services to International Development” and  is indeed well-deserved recognition of his outstanding contribution to the international volunteer sector over many years. FORUM and its Members have benefited greatly over the years from Brian’s active involvement in our activities and his current role on the Executive Board.” ...more

The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme today announced the winners of the “Online Volunteering Award 2009”, honouring the ‘outstanding’ contributions of volunteers who work entirely over the internet to contribute to peace and development by helping non-profit development organizations. ...more

Volunteering for our planet

Out climate is changing and will affect us all. Temperatures are rising and this may bring natural disasters such as storms, flooding, droughts and wildfires. It will hit the most vulnerable the hardest. ...more

The European Commission has decided to propose that 2011 be designated the “European Year of Volunteering”. The Council is expected to endorse this decision, after the European Parliament has been consulted, by the beginning of next year.

In the European Union, millions of citizens are volunteering. People of all ages make a positive contribution to their community by investing some of their free time in civil society organisations, in youth clubs, in hospitals, in schools, in sport clubs, etc. For the Commission, volunteering is an active expression of civic participation and strengthens common European values such as solidarity and social cohesion. Volunteering also provides important learning opportunities, because involvement in voluntary activities can provide people with new skills and competences and can even improve their employability. This is particularly important in this time of economic crisis. Volunteering plays an important role in sectors as varied and diverse as education, youth, culture, sport, environment, health, social care, consumer protection, humanitarian aid, development policy, research, equal opportunities and external relations. ...more