“A New Dawn for Volunteering in Development” Conference Report and Concluding Observations from IVCO 2022

Abstract

IVCO is the annual conference of the International Forum for Volunteering in Development (Forum). Held in Senegal in October 2022, the conference had three objectives: (1) To share and explore the challenges, achievements and learnings regarding key themes in the volunteering sector from the last two years. (2) To identify key takeaways and strategic advice that accelerate progress toward the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the African Union’s 2063 Agenda. (3) To learn about priorities emerging in the volunteering sector, strategies for navigating a changing and uncertain environment, and the role volunteering standards can play as we address those priorities. This report draws out key points and arguments from the conference and pointers for future action. IVCO 2022 took as its starting point the challenges and opportunities that volunteer involving organisations (VIOs) have experienced as a result of COVID-19. The United Nations reports that owing to the pandemic, many of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have regressed by 10 to 15 years. Can voluntary cooperation help to close these gaps? IVCO 2022 was a moment where international and national voluntary cooperation agencies, government representatives, donors, academic institutions, the private sector, volunteers and partners came together to learn from the past and to design their pathways going forward.