The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme and the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), both members of the "Forum for Volunteering in Development" (Forum), will jointly host the 2016 International Volunteering Cooperation Organizations (IVCO 2016) conference in Bonn.
The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme and the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), both members of the "Forum for Volunteering in Development" (Forum), will jointly host the 2016 International Volunteering Cooperation Organizations (IVCO 2016) conference in Bonn.
About 200 participants are expected to join the three-day event will take place from October 9-12th and focus on the theme Increasing Resilience of Communities Through Volunteering.
IVCO is an annual conference led by Forum that offers a platform for exchange, reflection and cooperation in development policy and volunteering. Founded in 1964 in Strasbourg under the auspices of the Council of Europe, Forum is the most significant global network of International Volunteer Co-operation Organizations, as it creates opportunities for information exchange, networking and advocacy work.
UNV was among the organizations that participated in the 2015 IVCO conference, which was held in Tokyo, Japan, on 4-7 October 2015. IVCO 2015 provided an opportunity to volunteer-involving organisations to position volunteerism in the context of the newly adopted Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and concluded with a Call to Action to support efforts that will achieve the SDGs through action at local, national and global levels.
Since IVCO 2015, the international community has agreed to strengthen the resilience of communities globally by better managing disaster risks and mitigating the impact of climate change. Ensuring that people have the capacity to better absorb, anticipate, and adapt to shocks and stresses helps protect development gains and ensures the sustainability of their surroundings.
These challenges can only be adequately addressed through the collaboration of national governments, civil society, people affected by crises, the private sector, national and international organisations as was recently pointed out at the United Nations World Humanitarian Summit.
IVCO 2016 therefore provides a unique forum for participants, in particular heads of agencies and senior management, to discuss this topic in-depth and leverage innovative solutions that can be applied to their organisations and their development practice.
You can find more information on the purpose and goals of IVCO 2016, as well as guidance on how to participate, here.