Challenge Paper – A Call to Action for the Future of Volunteering

This Challenge paper was commissioned by four global organisations active in the volunteering space: the International Forum for Volunteering in Development (Forum), the International Association of Volunteer Effort (IAVE), the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), and UNICEF Generation Unlimited, all of whom are committed to hosting a series of meaningful conversations about a future global agenda for volunteering in advance of the United Nations 2026 International Year of Volunteers for Sustainable Development (IVY 2026). The purpose of the global dialogue is to encourage and enable a wider set of conversations about volunteering that will inform and inspire what happens with IVY 2026 and beyond, thereby contributing to an ambitious and effective ‘Call to Action’ to deliver greater recognition for and investment in volunteering.

As a starting point for these conversations, this paper provides a basis for strategic consideration of what a shared vision for the future of volunteering could be. It comprises three sections, each of which includes questions for discussion. Following an introduction, it first outlines recent trends that have shaped the global volunteer sector. The second section examines the roles of key actors in creating an enabling and supportive environment for volunteering. The concluding third section asks what is required to create an enabling environment for volunteering in 2026 and beyond, and for whom.