IVCO 2022 ‘A New Dawn for Volunteering in Development’ Conference Report Published
We are pleased to announce that our IVCO 2022 ‘A New Dawn for Volunteering in Development’ Conference Report has been published.
Jointly hosted by Crossroads International, International Bureau for Children’s Rights and Forum, the annual conference for International Volunteering Cooperation Organisations (IVCO) was held in Saly, Senegal, from 16-19 October, 2022. Focusing on the theme: A Dawn for Volunteering for Development, IVCO 2022 was an opportunity for heads of volunteer organisations and delegates from the public, private, academic and NGO sectors around the world to network, discuss the future of volunteering in development, share innovative approaches, and build relationships.
Forum’s IVCO 2022 conference marked an important moment for the volunteering sector. As we emerge from three years of COVID-imposed restrictions, the theme of ‘A New Dawn for Volunteering in Development’ gave us a lens through which to explore what we have learned, how we have innovated, what our new normal might look like, what we have allowed to fall out of focus and what comes next. This report by Ben Haas and Helene Perold captures the content and character of the conversations at IVCO 2022, including 12 plenary sessions and side events, and the research and think pieces that informed and underpinned them.
Conversations at IVCO 2022 covered a wide range of issues, including COVID-19 as a catalyst for change and the need to innovate continually, decolonising our practice, diversifying and blending different models of volunteering, and doing more to address climate change.
In Senegal, it became clear that Forum members have wrestled with their purpose, methodology and role in development cooperation and, in the process, have made some important shifts in their thinking.
Five central insights became evident:
1. The importance of integrating volunteering more deliberately within the different development sectors.
2. A shift occurring towards viewing volunteerism more broadly as a form of active civic engagement.
3. Progress in strengthening the volunteer infrastructure for improved development outcomes.
4. Crafting more flexible approaches to funding strategies to support vulnerable organisations that are critical players in civil society.
5. The importance of increasing the presence and impact of Global South participation in the knowledge space about volunteering in development.
In presenting this report, we acknowledge the enormous contributions made by all of the presenters and moderators at IVCO 2022, as well as the authors of the conference framing paper and think pieces. We also thank our partners, the African Union, for a very fruitful
collaboration.
Our progress as a sector is built on their ideas, and we are sure they will continue to inform our thoughts and actions well beyond IVCO 2022.
IVCO 2023 will take place in Kuala Lumpur from 22 to 25 October on the theme A New Generation of Volunteers as Changemakers. Keep an eye out for updates on the dedicated conference page.
Download the IVCO 2022 Conference Report below. The report is available in English, French and Spanish:
ENG: IVCO 2022 Report – A New Dawn for Volunteering in Development
FR: Rapport IVCO 2022 – Une Aube Nouvelle pour le Volontariat dans le Developpement
ESP: Informe IVCO 2022 – Un Nuevo Amanecer para el Voluntariado para el Desarrollo