On Monday, 26 January, 2026, we hosted a side event at the 2026 ECOSOC Partnership Forum to discuss “Transformative and Impactful Volunteering – A Vision for IVY 2026” to celebrate the beginning of the International Volunteer Year for Sustainable Development. Please find the recording at the link below:
https://us06web.zoom.us/rec/share/scb_KKdZULFIULSTNYnZgu0q4dqpDUHr4aq_TZ52uhSfTkztRgDMIMzBvDhqXPBB.cRN9Rpl0yqwY_bFk
Passcode: iR46sQ#G
On 5 December 2025, the UN launched the 2026 International Volunteer Year for Sustainable Development (IVY 2026). This marks a pivotal moment to recognise the power of volunteers to advance the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and to strengthen the global systems that enable volunteering to flourish. Following is a summary of the side event presentations:
International Year of Volunteers 2026: Key Insights & Resources
This online event, hosted by the Volunteer Groups Alliance and Global Volunteering Forum as part of the ECOSOC Partnerships Forum, focused on strengthening volunteering through two major initiatives: the Global Volunteering Standard Version 3 and the Call to Action for the Future of Volunteering.
The Global Volunteering Standard Version 3
What it is: The first globally agreed good practice standard for volunteering organizations working toward the Sustainable Development Goals. Nearly 10 years in development, it reflects input from hundreds of organizations worldwide.
Four Core Areas:
Planning & Design - Community-led volunteer placements
Duty of Care - Safety for volunteers, staff, and communities; strengthened safeguarding
Managing Placements - Standardized volunteer and community support
Debriefing & Evaluation - Learning and measuring impact
What's New in Version 3:
Clearer, more accessible language
Better navigation and structure
Updated for modern volunteering (including online/digital)
Stronger equity and partnership commitments
New "learning approach" for flexible engagement, especially helpful for smaller organizations
Tools Available:
Updated standard text (available now for download)
Self-assessment tool (coming in 2025)
Online learning tool (coming in 2025)
The Call to Action for the Future of Volunteering
Based on: Research involving 10,000+ survey respondents from 164 countries and 126 global dialogues with nearly 4,000 participants across 74 countries.
Three Priority Areas:
Recognition - Acknowledge volunteering in policies, funding, research, and decision-making—not just symbolically on International Volunteer Day
Support - Create enabling infrastructure including inclusive policies, strong volunteer management, investment at local/national levels, and opportunities for marginalized groups
Safeguarding - Protect volunteers through laws, policies, and practices that uphold safety, rights, dignity, and wellbeing
Key Research Findings:
Volunteering contributes significantly to SDGs (especially health, education, climate action, sustainable cities)
Contributions are often under-acknowledged or poorly measured
Barriers persist: economic constraints, lack of opportunities, safety concerns
Policy frameworks need strengthening
Volunteering programs are chronically under-resourced
Power imbalances must be addressed through local leadership and reciprocity
Volunteer managers need better training and support
How to Get Involved
With the Standard:
Download and share the text
Register on the Global Volunteering Standard platform
Attend workshops throughout 2026
Contact the Global Volunteering Forum or VGA for guidance
With the Call to Action:
Share on social media (#FutureVolunteering)
Register your organization's commitment at IAVE.org
Read the Challenge Paper and Insights Paper
Take action on one or more commitments during 2026
For the International Year 2026:
National focal points should be designated through government Ministries of Foreign Affairs
National committees are recommended to coordinate country-level activities
Visit the UNV Knowledge Portal for information and resources
Major events planned throughout the year (HLPF in July, UNGA in September, closing December 5th)
Important Resources
Global Volunteering Forum: globalvolunteeringforum.org
Volunteer Groups Alliance: volunteergroupsalliance.org
UNV International Year 2026 Knowledge Portal
IAVE Call to Action page
Annual Global Volunteering Conference (Paris, October 19-22, 2026)
Key Message: Volunteering is not free—it requires proper investment, support, and infrastructure. The 2026 International Year offers a unique opportunity to strengthen volunteering globally through recognition, support, and safeguarding of all volunteers.
Convened by Volunteer Groups Alliance, Global Volunteering Forum, MY World Mexico, France Volontaires, VSO, Habitat for Humanity
The Volunteer Groups Alliance (VGA) promotes and highlights the contribution of volunteers in delivering the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
VGA is a global NGO bringing together a coalition of more than 100 organisations and networks working in more than 150 countries that contribute to sustainable development through volunteering in all its forms.
In preparation for the International Year of Volunteers for Sustainable Development in 2026, VGA was very active at the United Nations High-level Political Forum in July 2025 to amply the voice of volunteers in delivering the SDGs. A report of our activities can be found at https://docs.google.com/document/d/173g3-9vij0q3sXEMpYLBSdqvLfdCOBmg/edit
And learn more about plans for the International Volunteer Year at https://forum-ids.org/international-volunteer-year-2026/
VGA supports its member organisations by
connecting those working with Volunteer Groups across the world to help amplify the collective impact of volunteers in national, regional, and global SDG follow up and review processes
gaining recognition for the crucial role of volunteers in successfully monitoring progress on the SDGs at local, regional, and national levels and in UN processes
celebrating achievement on the advancement of the SDGs
As UN Member States and international institutions contribute to the Decade of Action (2020-2030), the Volunteer Groups Alliance is imagining a world in which the phenomenal resources, social capital and insights of volunteers mean they are truly in the driving seat of development. We know that these goals can be achieved in the following three ways:
Firstly,
reimagining through knowledge, by integrating evidence on volunteering at all stages in the 2030 Agenda processes at the national level and together in the United Nations.
Evidence is critical for the recognition of volunteer contributions on sustainable development. In 2022, 55% of countries mentioned volunteering in their Voluntary National Reviews on their SDG progress, and 9% reported the integration of volunteering into development plans, policies and strategies. Member States should cooperate with volunteer-involving and civil society organizations to include information on the scale, contribution, and impact of volunteering, including informal volunteering.
Secondly,
reimagining through dialogue, by creating new spaces to hear the voices of people taking action for the Sustainable Development Goals.
Millions of volunteers from all walks of life are playing a critical role not only in delivering the Sustainable Development Goals but also in supporting their accountability. Governments should engage volunteers in monitoring sustainable development at all levels as part of a wider commitment to civic engagement, accepting citizen-generated data and other evidence to complement official processes. Member States should also consult communities on sustainable development policies at all levels, take advantage of new forms of technology, and work with volunteers to listen to and amplify the voices of those who are frequently excluded or left behind.
Thirdly,
reimagining how we work together to partner with the world’s one billion volunteers, boosting the role of Member States as “connectors” and enabling partnerships to ensure robust cross- sector volunteering practice.
Strengthening partnerships across sectors is essential to advance the state of volunteering globally. It is imperative to bring together governments, civil society, the private sector, academia, and the international community in a collective conversation featuring multiple perspectives.
Volunteering is often the first step towards active citizenship and can help strengthen people’s ownership of their community’s development.
We commend those governments that recognize the value of systematic legislation, policies, structures, and programs for volunteer engagement and that have structures to enable more people to volunteer.
Where governments have created a conducive environment for civic engagement, and more particularly for volunteers to participate – or where they have been responsive to volunteer-led community initiatives – volunteers are more effective in SDG implementation.
Volunteers, too, are important for holding Member States accountable for their commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals.
Every day across the world, millions of ordinary citizens give their time to volunteer, making a vital and often under-recognised contribution to the delivery of the SDGs. United Nations Volunteers (UNV) estimates that one billion people annually contribute their time and energy to volunteer, and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has estimated that volunteering adds 2.4% to global Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Visit UNV’s Knowledge Portal on Volunteerism http://knowledge.unv.org/ for more information.
VGA calls for Member States to
formally recognize the contribution of volunteering to the implementation of the SDGs in their Voluntary National Reviews
ensure that Volunteer Groups are fully recognized and supported in the national plans and strategies for implementing the 2030 Agenda
support the participation of non-governmental actors in the SDG follow up and review processes
ensure the accountability, transparency and review framework for the SDGs involves community consultation at all levels, including representation of the most marginalised voices, as well as the volunteers that work closest to them
collect data on the contribution of volunteers in delivering the SDGs