IVCO 2022: a successful edition to imagine the future of international volunteering

3 November 2022

The Office was pleased to co-organise the annual conference of International Volunteer Cooperation Organisations (IVCO) 2022. Taking place in Saly, Senegal, from 16 to 19 October, this edition of IVCO was an opportunity for many organisations, political representatives and sector specialists from all over the world to come together to rethink the volunteer cooperation of tomorrow.

After two virtual editions, the IVCO conference, a major event in the international volunteering for development (or volunteer cooperation) sector, took place in Senegal. The event, co-organized by the International Bureau for Children’s Rights and Carrefour International, in partnership with the International Volunteer Development Forum (Forum), was held under the theme “A New Era for Volunteerism and Development”. Over five days, members of sector organisations, political delegations and specialists in the field were able to exchange lessons learned from the past years, identify and analyse challenges and opportunities for volunteer cooperation, learn, share innovative practices and create spaces for collaboration.

IVCO 2022 offers a rare opportunity to compare one’s practices with those of organisations from all over the world, through formal presentations, panels, workshops and numerous informal exchanges.Yann Delaunay, General Delegate, France Volontaires

IVCO 2022 in brief

5

days of events including 3 days of workshops 

19

workshops for reflection, discussion and exchange

4

major themes, 15 subthemes addressed

More than 

35

lecturers  

More than 

130

participants from all over the world  

More than 

60

organisations, delegations and specialists represented  

Day by day

DAY 1: Looking back and re-imagining the future  

The first day of the conference questioned the perspectives of volunteerism for development, explored the link between volunteerism and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, and discussed norms and standards for volunteerism.

 

DAY 2: Now where do we want to go?

The second day was devoted to reflection and sharing of experiences on what we can do better in the coming years in relation to climate change, inequalities in volunteer cooperation, public engagement in volunteerism for development and the role of institutions.

 

Thank you to IVCO 2022 for revitalising reciprocity, through service, human connection and solidarity.Tina Sweeney, Senior Advisor, Outreach and Partnerships, Cuso

 

DAY 3: What will we do differently?

On the third and final day, the focus was on next steps to concretise the actions and commitments to be taken following the first two days of analysis and exploration. The focus was on financial structures and opportunities for diversifying funding for volunteerism for development through an exchange workshop and three sessions on the theme of “united in common goals”, during which common research priorities and methodologies for the sector were identified.

 

The conference made me realise that my role as a volunteer goes beyond the local context. Through the discussions, I learned that there are still opportunities for young volunteers to get involved in learning, sharing and developing their capacities in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.Patricia Kanyiri, Veterinarian Without Borders volunteer in Kenya

What next?

A highlight of the year for the volunteer cooperation sector, IVCO 2022 provided an opportunity to take stock of the situation after two years of changes linked to the unprecedented health situation. The mobilisation of the participants and the richness of the debates and discussions held during the three-day meeting helped to renew the desire for cohesion and collaboration around common objectives to enable international volunteering to position itself as a major tool for international development.

 

 

See you next year in Malaysia to continue the discussion with IVCO 2023!