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The
Future of International Volunteering: Policy into Practice
New
Trends in Volunteer Sending Agencies
Executive
Summary - Some Common Issues
Paul Beggan, President FORUM
This paper
seeks to draw out some common issues and themes from the responses received
to FORUM's survey on trends in volunteer sending agencies.
This is
the first time we have attempted to draw out some common issues before
the IVSO meeting. This exercise reflects the feedback from participants
in all IVSO meetings who put a particular value on sharing the experiences
of their work over the previous year and exploring trends that currently
or in the future are likely to impact on our organisations. It was felt
that the discussion would be helped if people had an opportunity to
review some of these issues before the meeting to give greater focus
to the debate.
There are
many interesting issues highlighted in the responses and participants
might like to consider what issues they would like to discuss on the
first day of the conference. It is important that this discussion responds
to the issues of most relevance to organisations participating. These
might include:
1. Poverty
reduction as a renewed policy priority for government and how this
is likely to impact on our work. There is a belief that all development
actors need to work in a more coherent way towards the achievement of
the Millennium Development Goals. How volunteer/personnel agencies focus
on poverty reduction, the instruments at our disposal and how we can
demonstrate a real impact on poverty reduction.
2. Civil Peace Service has been a recurring theme for a number
of years and is given renewed emphasis post September 11. There is growing
experience and expertise in implementation of programmes around conflict
prevention and post conflict reconciliation.
3. Advocacy is an area in which many organisations have
been involved over a long period. In the recent past, development education
work seemed to lose favour with some funding agencies, partly because
it was so difficult to demonstrate impact. The survey would suggest
a renewed emphasis on advocacy as being a central part of funding arrangements
and indeed in some cases an ever more important core element of the
work of organisations.
4. Partnership Agreements are emerging as important new mechanisms
for funding arrangements between NGO sending agencies and their government
funding ministries. Some agencies are already implementing such agreements,
others are preparing for future arrangements. This also includes new
forms of funding such as tendering for service delivery. It may be useful
to share relevant experience.
5. Capacity Development is a central theme in all development
discussions. It has particular relevance for personnel sending agencies
and how we work. A current UNDP led debate has once again reopened the
debate on how all forms of technical assistance contribute or do not
contribute to real, lasting capacity development. The IVSO meeting will
receive an update on the discussions.
6. Relationship with the Private Sector and supporting
wealth-generating activity is an area receiving a great deal more attention.
The survey suggests the beginnings of thinking and programme development
in this area.
7. Local Partnership is a much quoted mantra. What has been the
real experience, what has worked and what has not worked? Has the relationship
moved beyond a "spirit of partnership" to some thing more
concrete and equal? What developments are taking place around local
partnership arrangements?
Details
of this case study are available by contacting Carol Ward on +44 116
257 6602 or email carol.ward@skillshare.org
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