More than 1 billion people volunteer globally, the majority of them working in their own countries. Contrary to the popular image of volunteers as charity workers delivering services to the needy, many are in the forefront of efforts to improve the way they and their fellow citizens are governed.
The State of the World’s Volunteerism Report 2015 is the first global survey of the contribution of volunteers to better governance at the local, national and global levels, a key plank of post-2015 sustainable development efforts. Drawing on evidence from countries as diverse as Chile, Liberia, Yemen and Bangladesh, it shows how volunteers are working with governments and civil society to hold those in power to account, to influence policies and laws and to represent the voices of those who are often left out of development decisions.
The Report has been launched in New York, Nairobi, Delhi, Bahrain, Panama and Tokyo. Over the next few months, in-depth discussions will be held in various spaces with academia, civil society and policy makers.
The first of such discussions will be hosted by the International Gender Studies Centre at Lady Margaret Hall.