His Excellency Sheikh Sultan bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan: "The founding fathers devoted a solid approach in the field of volunteer work, which enabled the UAE to occupy a prominent global position in this vital sector."

Her Excellency Hessa bint Essa Buhumaid: "Today we are pleased to celebrate our rich achievements and experiences, which are essential and effective parts of the development system implemented by UAE."

His Excellency Ahmed Talib Al Shamsi: "We welcome the pioneers of volunteer work in Abu Dhabi, which has, over the decades, served as an inspiring model of community giving."

The Emirates Foundation announced the launch of the 26th World Volunteer Conference, which is hosted by Abu Dhabi, at ADNOC Business Center from 25 to 27 October, in cooperation with International Association for Volunteer Effort (IAVE), in the presence of a group of volunteers, pioneers of volunteerism and hundreds of participants from government, private, academic and civil society organizations from more than 100 countries around the world.

On the first day of the conference, which is held under the theme "Volunteering for the Common Benefit: Improving the Living Conditions of Individuals and Communities", participants discussed a number of pivotal issues such as the role of volunteering in bringing about change, and institutional volunteering for the post-pandemic world.

His Excellency Sheikh Sultan bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, Member of the Executive Council and Managing Director of the Emirates Foundation, said: “The founding fathers devoted a solid approach in the field of volunteer work, which enabled the UAE to assume a prominent global position in this vital sector, and our wise leadership followed this approach to contribute as a supportive leadership And inspiring in the consolidation of volunteer work, which has become a culture rooted in the hearts of the people of the country and residents of the generous land of the Emirates.”

Her Excellency Hessa bint Essa Buhumaid, Minister of Community Development in the United Arab Emirates, said: "Today, we are pleased to celebrate our rich achievements and experiences, which are an essential and effective part of the development system experienced by the country in various fields, based on our belief in the importance of volunteering and investing in the energies of volunteers."

His Excellency Ahmed Talib Al Shamsi, CEO of the Emirates Foundation, said: “We welcome the pioneers of volunteer work in Abu Dhabi, on the good land of the Emirates, which has served over decades as an inspiring model of community giving. The UAE’s hosting of this event is an affirmation of its leadership position in volunteer work. In continuation of its efforts to develop this sector and create an enabling environment for volunteers to attract and motivate them to participate in advancing development.”

Nicole Cirillo, Executive Director of the International Association for Voluntary Effort IAVE, said: "It is a source of pride for us to cooperate with the Emirates Foundation in organizing this global event, which today is taking a new and important path through its hosting by the UAE. We thank the UAE represented by the Foundation the UAE organized the conference according to the highest international standards, and we are confident that its results will be reflected on voluntary thought in the world.”

On the second day of the conference, the participants will continue discussing a set of important themes while sharing their experiences and studies in a number of training seminars to shed light on the main practices to confront many issues related to the volunteering sector around the world.  In addition, a volunteering activity was organized by Dubai Cares, Emirates Foundation, and the International Association for Volunteer Effort, in cooperation with UPS. This activity included packing 2,800 kits that will be distributed to charity schools across the UAE, attended by students from humble backgrounds.

This conference is the result of a fruitful cooperation between the Emirates Foundation and the International Association for Volunteer Effort (IAVE) and the result of joint efforts with our strategic partner ADNOC and our destination partner Abu Dhabi Convention and Exhibition Bureau, as well as the sponsorship of TotalEnergies, Occidental Petroleum (OXY), UPS, Borealis, First Abu Dhabi Bank, Mubadala Investment Company, Department of Community Development, Iberdrola & Good deeds day and SAP.

It is worth noting that the "Global Volunteering Conference" is being hosted by Abu Dhabi for the first time in the Middle East, after it outperformed 3 international cities; It is considered one of the most important international events dealing with the issues of volunteerism and its continuous role in the development process of society and countries alike.