September 30, 2011
Final declaration from the Global Volunteer Conference in Budapest
Organized by UNV and the Red Cross, the Global Volunteer Conference: "Volunteering for a Sustainable Future" took place in Budapest, Hungary, on September 15-17, 2011. In their final declaration, the delegates called on all sectors of society to make volunteering a priority, and recognize the contribution of volunteers to making the world a better place.
The conference examined the role of volunteers in addressing present and future challenges in an increasingly polarized and fragmented world. These discussions emphasized the link between protecting the planet and giving people a chance for a better life, between citizen engagement and sustainable solutions for the improvement of our societies. It underlined the untapped potential of volunteering as a process mobilizing populations all over the world and thus contributed to the achievement of national and international development agendas. It addressed volunteering as a cross-cutting force addressing a broad spectrum of peace and development activities, striving for the eradication of poverty and the betterment of the human condition.
Linkages between volunteering and issues such as climate change, migration, youth involvement, solidarity between generations, crisis prevention and recovery, disaster risk reduction, gender or growing urbanization were addressed. Beyond the concrete thematic targets volunteerism contributes to, the conference underlined the value of volunteering to encourage people to take positive action for the sake of their own and their community’s wellbeing.
In this context, the conference highlighted growing trends in volunteering (corporate volunteering, online volunteers, etc.) and the advent of social (online) and digital (mobile technologies) media as a means of engagement while addressing legal and practical mechanisms to better protect, recognize and promote volunteers, nationally and internationally. Participants from all around the world were invited to contribute to the conference focusing on the following broad themes.
Key Themes for the Conference
The conference had the following themes, each with plenary and associated roundtables:
Day 1: Volunteering for the MDGs and beyond
Day 2: Volunteering for crisis prevention and recovery
Day 3: Promoting an enabling environment for volunteers and volunteering
For more information, visit the website: https://www.signup4.net/public/ap.aspx?EID=IFRC10E&OID=50
Download the final GVC declaration below.
(Photo: tutuka)
