The Secretary General of the CIS, Dauren Abayev stressed the importance of volunteering at the forum in Astana. He noted international cooperation, successful initiatives in other countries, the role of volunteers in the pandemic and plans to declare 2024 the "Year of the Volunteer Movement in the CIS".
Today, at the International Volunteer Forum in Astana, the Secretary General of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), Dauren Abayev, addressed the participants, emphasizing the importance of volunteer work in modern society. He greeted all those present on behalf of the CIS Executive Committee and noted the importance of volunteering in the implementation of socially significant ideas, El.kz reports.
Abayev noted that the ideas of voluntary and selfless assistance are close to all people and stressed the importance of international cooperation in the development of the volunteer movement. He noted that up to 150 million people around the world have officially devoted themselves to volunteering, and this figure does not take into account underage volunteers.
Emphasizing the importance of volunteering, Abayev cited examples of countries where more than half of the population is involved in volunteer organizations, such as Norway. He also noted that in Canada, people devote an average of 191 hours per year to volunteer work, which is equivalent to nearly six hundred thousand full-time jobs.
“The role of volunteers took on new significance during the coronavirus pandemic, when they actively helped organize fundraising, deliver medicines and medical masks, and provide support to lonely elderly people. Rich traditions of volunteering are also being revived in the CIS member states, where great importance is attached to strengthening international cooperation in the development of the volunteer movement. Particular attention is paid to the involvement of the younger generation in volunteer activities in accordance with the Concept for the Development of Cooperation of the CIS Member States, approved by the Council of Foreign Ministers of the CIS in 2018," Dauren Abayev said.
The Secretary General noted that under the leadership of the Council for Youth Affairs of the CIS member states, ties between the leading volunteer organizations of the Commonwealth countries are strengthening. Within the framework of cooperation, joint projects are being carried out in the fields of environmental, cultural and sports volunteering.
A landmark event was the announcement by the CIS heads of state of 2024 as the "Year of the Volunteer Movement in the Commonwealth of Independent States". The draft Plan of Events of the Year, prepared taking into account the proposals of leading volunteer organizations, includes more than a hundred international actions, meetings, conferences, research and other events. The purpose of the joint work will be to improve the regulatory framework for cooperation, develop the infrastructure of the volunteer movement, support motivation for socially useful volunteer activities and increase the potential of volunteer organizations," Abayev added.
Concluding his speech, the Secretary General of the CIS, Dauren Abayev, expressed confidence that the International Forum of Volunteers in Astana will give an additional impetus to the volunteer movement. He expressed his best wishes to the organizers and participants of the forum, urging them to mutual understanding, constructive cooperation and productive discussions in creating and achieving concrete results for the common good.