Emirates Foundation, hosted today, the 'Abu Dhabi Volunteers 2020 Forum', as part of a three-day visit by senior level delegation from the International Association for Volunteering Effort in preparation for the next IAVE World Volunteer Conference, the largest global gathering of volunteer experts and practitioners, which will be held in Abu Dhabi in 2020.
ABU DHABI, (Pakistan Point News - 05th Dec, 2018) Emirates Foundation, hosted today, the 'Abu Dhabi Volunteers 2020 Forum', as part of a three-day visit by senior level delegation from the International Association for Volunteering Effort in preparation for the next IAVE World Volunteer Conference, the largest global gathering of volunteer experts and practitioners, which will be held in Abu Dhabi in 2020.
Today’s Forum follows last month’s announcement of Abu Dhabi as the host of the next IAVE World Volunteer Conference, which was made during the 2018 annual conference in Augsburg, Germany.
Taking place for the first time in the middle East, the IAVE World Volunteer Conference 2020 will be hosted by Emirates Foundation and is expected to attract over 1,000 participants, representing the volunteer community worldwide. It will be a milestone conference, celebrating IAVE’s 50th anniversary.
The Forum took place at the Ritz Carlton in Abu Dhabi in the presence of Hessa Essa Buhumaid, Minister of Community Development, Dr. Mugheer Al Khaili, Chairman of the Department of Community Development, Mubarak Saeed Al Shamsi, Director-General ACTVET and board member at Emirates Foundation, and Reem Yousef Al Shammari, Director – Strategic Communications Affairs at Executive Affairs Authority and board member at Emirates Foundation and Maytha Al Habsi, CEO of Emirates Foundation, Kylee Bates, IAVE World Presi-dent.
The attendance also included a large number of dignitaries and high-level officials from Emirates Foundation partners, as well as volunteer organisations such as the Emirati Red Crescent, Dubai Cares, Watani Al Emarat Foundation, and Emirati Marshal.
Commenting on the announcement, Sheikh Sultan bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, Member of the Executive Council of Abu Dhabi and Managing Director of Emirates Foundation, said, "Volunteerism is a true reflection of the vision set forth by the wise leadership of the UAE to nurture a culture of giving and civic engagement by our youth. This is done through relentless education, awareness and the creation of programmes that enable youth to volunteer while creating social and economic impact in their community and the nation overall."
"Hosting the next IAVE World Volunteer Conference in Abu Dhabi in 2020, reaffirms our nation’s leading role in volunteering efforts on the global stage."
Sheikh Sultan bin Tahnoon stressed the importance of nurturing volunteering and highlighted its far-reaching impact on the development of the nation – he further praised and high-lighted the important role of volunteering organizations in the UAE and their role in shaping and guiding the successful delivery of the IAVE World Volunteer Conference in 2020.
In her opening remarks, Hessa Buhumaid, said, "Hosting the global IAVE conference in Abu Dhabi recognises the central role of volunteering in our young nation, which has been built on the spirit of service and giving by the UAE’s Founding Father, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. Today, inspired by his legacy, our nation has become a shining example of volunteering – the private, public and non-profit sectors working collaboratively and creating social impact at scale, both locally and globally."
She also announced the launch of the "Elderly Volunteers Initiative" on the occasion of International Volunteers Day, an initiative aligned with the National Policy for Senior Emiratis and focused on the engagement and activation of elderly volunteer from across the nation.
