Abu Dhabi Hosts “World Volunteer Conference” for the First Time in the Middle East

In cooperation with International Association for Volunteer Effort (IAVE)

• His Excellency Ahmed Taleb al Shamsi: “The conference highlights the UAE and the capital’s position as a hub for international volunteer initiatives.”

• Nichole Cirillo: “This conference is a unique opportunity to emphasize the strategic role that the volunteer’s leadership network plays.”

Emirates Foundation announces hosting the 26th World Volunteer Conference under the theme of “Volunteering for the Common Good: Making Life Better for People and Communities” in Abu Dhabi. The event is hosted jointly by Emirates Foundation and International Association for Volunteer Effort (IAVE) and will take place from 24th October until 27th October 2022 at ADNOC Business Center.

Abu Dhabi won the bid among three shortlisted cities and was selected by the IAVE to host the 26th World Volunteer Conference, making it the first capital in the Middle East to host this coveted global conference. The conference is the largest global gathering of volunteering experts and is held every two years. It aims to tackle many of the challenges and issues in volunteer work and highlights the culture of volunteering in promising sustainable development of societies and countries alike. The event is expected to attract up to 1,000 participants and global stakeholders within the volunteering community, including leaders, civil society organizations, government agencies, academia and businesses from more than 100 countries around the globe, in an effort to share their perspectives on the significance of volunteering and its role in the growth of nations and civilizations.

Moreover, IAVE is the only international organization that connects volunteering leaderships, companies and NGOs under the umbrella of the common goal of supporting volunteering, encouraging humanitarian work and endorsing the efforts of volunteers all over the world.

The host for this year’s conference, The Emirates Foundation, continues its tireless efforts in supervising, working and guiding to provide innovative and attractive programs for volunteer work. This encourages the local community to continuously volunteer, which will contribute to supporting the growth, prosperity and development of the country and enhance its position at the global level.

Hosting the World Volunteer Conference cements UAE’s pioneering status as a hub of social and volunteering work and a token of the country’s concerted efforts in this sector, which contributes to highlighting the values, ​​culture and identity of the UAE. It also sheds light on UAE’s role as a flagbearer of global model in empowering members of the society, and harnessing technological developments to establish volunteer platforms that are dedicated to raise awareness through volunteer pioneers and leaders. This comes in line with the UAE’s strategy in encouraging the youth’s engagement in building the Emirati society. 

On this occasion, His Excellency Ahmed Taleb Al Shamsi, CEO of the Emirates Foundation, said: “We are glad to host this prestigious international conference in the UAE, as it will attract hundreds of participants and global stakeholders from more than 100 countries, who will get the opportunity to learn about the UAE’s history, its outstanding achievements in the humanitarian sector and its position as a leading hub for international volunteer initiatives.”

H.E. added, “The conference aims to create an environment that encourages networking, sharing of knowledge, and continuous learning among all the attendees, which will yield a positive impact on the development of the communities and the lives of volunteers alike.”

His Excellency pointed out that the conference is an ideal opportunity to celebrate the noble human values of volunteering.

Nichole Cirillo, Executive Director of  IAVE, said: "We are pleased to collaborate with the Emirates Foundation to organize this significant international conference, which reflects the association's belief that collective volunteering is an expression of civic engagement that is fundamental and beneficial for all. This falls in line with the international trend to support volunteers and recognize their tireless work around the globe.”

Cirillo added, "The conference represents a unique opportunity to acknowledge the strategic role played by volunteers and leaders of volunteer work to advance the development process in the society and help address the world’s most pressing challenges. In addition to creating a more equal and inclusive future for all, volunteering is one of the important strategic pillars to achieve sustainable development goals of the United Nations.”

The International Volunteer Conference includes a full program of events that start on 24th of October, with a Gala dinner followed by various discussion sessions and workshops that are taking place on 25th and 26th  of October, in addition to a cultural evening. 

The conference will be concluded with group visits to cultural sites in Abu Dhabi on October 27th. Attendees will be able to learn from the shared experiences, especially those arising from COVID-19, and how volunteers have played a key role in mitigating the direct and indirect consequences of the pandemic.

This conference is the result of a fruitful cooperation between the Emirates Foundation and the International Association for Volunteer Effort (IAVE) and sponsored by TotalEnergies, Occidental Petroleum (OXY), UPS, Borealis, First Abu Dhabi Bank, Mubadala Investment Company, Department of Community Development, Iberdrola & Good deeds day and SAP.

The IAVE conference was held previously in Singapore in 2011, in London in 2012, in Australia’s Gold Coast in 2014, in “Mexico City” Mexico in 2016 and in Augsburg, Germany, in 2018.