IVCO

Set against the stunning backdrop of Cambodia’s historic temples, September’s IVCO 2025 builds on the highly successful 2024 event. Participants will again join the entire Forum network, the most significant global network of organisations that work with volunteers to achieve sustainable development goals.  

“This year is a particularly significant one for our community,” said James O’Brien, Forum’s Executive Director. “IVCO is a chance to come together and share strategies for strengthening civil society in the face of great challenges. Around the world, civil society is under pressure and the challenges are growing more complex, yet volunteers continue to play a vital role and remain at the heart of supporting communities and driving change.” said James. 

“At IVCO this year we will also launch the latest edition of the Global Volunteering Standard. The Standard is the only global framework that supports volunteer-involving organisations to better understand good practice, and to become more responsible and impactful in their work,” said James. Accompanied by an online platform, which includes the Self-Assessment Tool and Learning Library, the Standard was developed collaboratively in 2019, drawing on the expertise and wisdom of several hundred people, organisations and communities from 80 countries across the volunteering in development sector and beyond.  

With over five days of conference, including a CEO Roundtable for Forum members and a Research Day on the final day, the 2024 conference was a dynamic hive of ideas and connections. Six plenary sessions and interactive group discussions and 18 breakout sessions in four different formats (How-To Workshop, Human Library, Pecha-Kucha, and Strategy Conversation) led to a 95% approval rating by respondents, mentioning:

“The moderators, speakers and well put together programme.”

“What was especially good, was enough time given for delegate interaction both formally and informally.”

IVCO 2025 finds our community facing new challenges, with shifting funding priorities, policy changes, and a global civil society under threat: the way volunteers and organisations operate is faced with rapid change.