Impact of Volunteer Activities Presented at the 2019 International Volunteer Cooperation Organisations' Conference

IVCO is a conference hosted once a year by the International Forum for Volunteering in Development, where international volunteer groups, government institutions and the private sector from around the world, gather to share knowledge and case studies. The 2019 conference, held in the African region for the first time, has the theme of “Advancing Quality in Volunteering for Development.” Approximately 250 people from 48 countries participated in a variety of sessions to discuss the theme.

On the 29th, a variety of dialog sessions took place based on the sub-theme “Volunteering Models: Innovation and Good Practice.” Onuki took the stage for one of these sessions, a panel discussion titled “The Power of Relationships: Volunteering as a People-Based Approach”. This discussion, which also involved Cheryl Johnson from the Australian government, Professor Matt Baillie Smith from Northumbria University in England, Jean-Daniel Balme from France Volontaires, and Professor Benjamin J. Lough from the University of Illinois in the U.S., focused on the way in which volunteers build relationships with the communities where they act, and how that has contributed to sustainable development.

Onuki later said “Participation in IVCO has been a beneficial opportunity for providing information from Japan and sharing issues targeted at sustainable development with international volunteer project members from different countries.”