On 29 November, the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme in Fiji launched a flagship report, the State of the World's Volunteerism Report (SWVR) 2018, demonstrating that volunteers across Asia and the Pacific region are a fundamental coping strategy for resilient communities. The SWVR 2018 launch in Suva, Fiji was held on the occasion of the UNV Executive Coordinator's official visit to the Pacific. 

As our climate changes rapidly, it brings major new risks for communities. Across all societies, volunteers are at the forefront of responding to and coping with shocks, using local knowledge, networks, and capacities to build community resilience. But the scale and unpredictability of future risks, rising inequalities, and low capacities mean that new support is required to sustain this people-centred approach to climate resilience. The Policy Brief acknowledges how volunteers are already mapping and monitoring climate change at scale.

UNV commissioned this global research study to provide a picture of trends and lessons in the development of supportive volunteerism policies and legislation in the decade of volunteering from 2001. A review was conducted in seven regions, complemented by country-specific case studies in each region. The study analyses considerations in drafting and implementing volunteerism laws and policies, and highlights the need to tailor them to specific local, national and regional contexts.  This paper is currently being updated for the 2018 State of the World's Volunteerism Report.