Abu Dhabi wins bid to host global volunteer conference

Abu Dhabi has been unanimously selected by the International Association for Volunteering Effort (IAVE) as the host city for the 26th World Volunteer Conference in October 2020.

The biannual event is the largest global gathering of volunteering experts and practitioners, and the announcement confirming Abu Dhabi as hosts in 2020 was made during the closing ceremony of 2018’s conference in Augsburg, Germany.

This will be the first time the conference will be hosted in the UAE since its launch in 1970. And while the exact date of the event has not been announced, it will take place during the same month as the launch of Expo 2020 Dubai, which opens on October 20 of that year.

Abu Dhabi-based Emirates Foundation will coordinate the conference, building on its mandate by the Abu Dhabi government to facilitate public-private funded initiatives for the empowerment of youth across the UAE. Volunteering is one of the organisation’s key pillars – along with innovation, entrepreneurship, empowerment and engagement.

More than 1,000 participants representing he volunteer communities of over 90 countries are expected to attend, including government entities, the private sector, non-profit groups, and individual philanthropists.

His Highness Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and Chairman of the Emirates Foundation said: “We are honoured to be hosting the next IAVE World Volunteer Conference in 2020 in Abu Dhabi, which attests to the leading role our nation is playing on the global stage in the area of volunteering.

“Corporate citizenship and social responsibility are fundamental pillars for building the strong communities that will unite our nation in responsibility. It starts with volunteering, which nurtures a common spirit of giving, one that honours the legacy of our founding father His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.”

Her Excellency Maytha Al Habsi, CEO of Emirates Foundation, added: “We thank the IAVE board members for their confidence in Abu Dhabi and our ability to further the mission and objectives of the global volunteering community.

“We look forward to contributing our voice, as together we share our experiences, challenges, innovations, and means for collaboration around volunteering efforts.”