- Need Technical Assistance? ivco@getvfairs.io
- Contact the IVCO2020 team at info@ivco2020.org
Volunteering for Climate Action
26 - 28 October 2020
IVCO’s digital experience will be different from years past. There will be a range of international friendly time zone-based sessions, on demand content, networking in the Bula Lounge and IVCO classics you’ve come to love like the World Café, reimagined into the virtual conference centre.
As the event was originally due to be held in Fiji, the program schedule below is in Fiji Time. To find out when sessions might fall in your time zone, try this free time zone tool.
With climate change the most pressing threat to our planet and species, and with only 3 per cent of current international volunteering attributed to environmental sustainability, the conference provides the opportunity to raise the awareness, quality and quantity of volunteering for climate action to contribute to SDG13.
This theme presents an opportunity for researchers and practitioners to explore what we mean by volunteering for climate action, to recognise and share good practice from our organisations and agree on ways forward, as organisations and as a sector, to improve the quality and impact of our work.
Intergovernmental Meeting – Monday 26 October 22:00- 23:00 FJT/10:00-11:00 GMT
Forum AGM – Tuesday 27 October 22:00- 23:00 FJT/10:00-11:00 GMT
Forum RPPL (Half) Day – Thursday 29 October 23:00- 00:30 FJT/11:00-12:30 GMT
Contact Molly Garcia-Underwood for enquiries regarding the Intergovernmental Meeting.
Contact Forum for enquiries regarding the AGM or the RPPL Meeting.
Recorded11:00-11:45 FJT/23:00-23:45 GMT (Sunday 25)
Speakers: Paul Bird, CEO AVI, Chair Forum; His Excellency Mr. J. Feakes, Australian High Commissioner to Fiji; Kiji Faktaufon, Regional Director (Central and North Pacific) - Australian Volunteers Program; Dignitaries from Fiji
MCs: Amelia Rigsby & AnnMary Raduva
This session will officially open IVCO2020, welcoming delegates and distinguished guests, reflecting on the complex challenges we face today in the context of climate change and COVID-19. The CEO of AVI, Paul Bird, will also speak to the objectives of this year's IVCO and together with special guests from Fiji will provide some insight into the topcs being addressed in the following three days.
11:45-12:00 FJT/23:45-00:00 GMT (Sunday 25)
12:00-12:15 FJT/00:00-00:15 GMT
Speaker: Dame Meg Taylor, Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum
MC: Amelia Rigsby
Dame Meg Taylor in conversation with Amelia Rigsby. The COVID-19 public health emergency and its ensuing humanitarian and economic fallout offers us a glimpse of what the global climate change emergency can become – if it is left unchecked and if we do not act now.
Live Recorded12:15-13:00 FJT/00:15-01:00 GMT
13:00-14:00 FJT/01:00-02:00 GMT
Speakers: Dr. Peter Devereux, Research Fellow, Curtain University; Dr. Cliff Allum, Researcher, University of Birmingham, UK
Moderator: Paul Bird, CEO, AVI
Climate change has been largely caused in the Global North but the Global South faces its most pressing impacts. IVCOs have a distinctive advantage because of work with partners, volunteers and returned volunteers in North and South but require acceleration of work on global citizenship, civil society engagement and partnerships.
0800 GMT+0 14:30 - 15:45 FJT/02:30-03:45 GMT
Speakers: Rita Warleigh, Founder, IVP; Jessica McCommon, Researcher, Humanitarian Advisory Group; Jess Lees, Leader, Humanitarian Advisory Group; Africa Zanella, CEO, Centre for Sustainability and Gender Economics
Moderator: Hattaya Wongsaengpaiboon, VSO
This session will discuss the role of volunteers in advocacy movements that influence policy and system change. This session will focus on case studies that demonstrate how volunteers have supported progress towards SDG 13.3: Improve education, awareness-raising and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction and early warning. 1100 GMT+0 15:45-16:30 FJT/03:35-04:30 GMT
22:00-23:15 FJT/10:00-11:15 GMT
Speakers: Lénaïk Le Poul, Programme Manager, France Volontaires; Simon Laflamme, Environment and Climate Change Advisor, Oxfam-Québec; Gerasimos Kouvaras, Director, ActionAid Hellas
Moderator: Yvette Macabuag, CUSO
This session will discuss the role of volunteers in supporting adaptation and resilience, drawing on case studies that demonstrate how volunteers have supported progress towards SDG 13.1: Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries.
23:15-00:00 FJT/11:15-12:00 GMT
Recorded08:45-09:00 FJT/20:45-21:00 GMT (Monday 26)
Speaker: Jamie Isbister, Australia’s Ambassador for The Environment
MC: Amelia Rigsby & AnnMary Raduva
Recorded09:00-10:45 FJT/21:00-22:45 GMT (Monday 26)
This discussion will focus on the work of Pacific based volunteers in supporting climate action. The discussion will include stories of successes, key challenges and key messages for the Forum audience, on how they can support stronger climate action in the region and internationally.
Leading the Pacific – Vanuatu’s plastic ban
Vanuatu is the first country in the Pacific to ban single use plastic bags and polystyrene takeaway containers, and the first country in the world to ban plastic straws. These bans make it illegal to manufacture, sell or give away single-use plastic bags, plastic straws and polystyrene take-away containers. This was achieved through collaboration between community members, non-government organisations, advocacy groups, government agencies and Australian volunteers on the Australian Volunteers Program.
The panel will talk about how the ban was achieved, how the policy has rolled out across Vanuatu, and what the desired outcomes are. Panellist will explain how COVID-19 has impacted efforts, including the weakened economy and lack of tourists. It will also discuss the contribution Australian volunteers make to locally-led development outcomes.
13:00-14:30 FJT/01:00-02:30 GMT
14:30-16:00 FJT/02:30-04:00 GMT
Moderators:
| Paul Bird | AVI |
| David Styers | VGA |
| Erin Bateman | WUSC |
| Stephen Goodman | VSA |
Join these workshops to discuss how, as a sector, we can increase volunteering for climate action opportunities in our programs, building a sustainable future for our planet. Each workshop will last approximately 15 minutes, with moderators rotating between groups, allowing for participants to attend each workshop. All groups will come back together at the end for moderators to share the findings from the workshops.
Should climate change be assessed for our in-country programs and partners in the same way as cross cutting themes such as gender equality?
The biggest impact we can make is in positively changing policy and systems, so how can volunteering for climate action achieve this?
How can we harness volunteering for climate action models and practice to support communities and partner organisations to adapt and reduce their exposure to the effects of climate change?
How can volunteering better build the capacity in partner organisations and networks that work in climate change to be more effective?
16:00-19:45 FJT/04:00-07:45 GMT
19:45-21:00 FJT/07:45-09:00 GMT
Speakers: Moyosoluwa Oladayo, Global Volunteering for Development Officer, VSO; Abeng Lucky, Climate and Sustainable Development Network ; Geeta Devi Pradhan, Global Lead Advisor Gender, VSO; Bhola Bhattarai, Executive Advisor, National Forum for Advocacy.
Moderator: Mark Cumming, Comhlámh
21:00-22:00 FJT/09:00-10:00 GMT
Speakers: Kudzo Nyameko GBEMO, Founder, Assosiation JSA; Diego Regosa, Coordinator, France Volontaires; Awonkeu Francois, Team Leader, Cuso International.
Moderator: Samuel Turay, VSO
22:00-22:15 FJT/10:00-10:15 GMT
22:15-23:45 FJT/10:15-11:45 GMT
Moderators:
| Rebecca Tiessen | Uni Ottawa |
| Fred Sadia | Kenya, VIO |
| Nichole Cirillo | IAVE |
| Alfred Kuma | VSO |
Join these workshops to discuss how, as a sector, we can increase volunteering for climate action opportunities in our programs, building a sustainable future for our planet. Each workshop will last approximately 15 minutes, with moderators rotating between groups, allowing for participants to attend each workshop. All groups will come back together at the end for moderators to share the findings from the workshops.
13A Mainstreaming as a cross cutting theme
Should climate change be assessed for our in-country programs and partners in the same way as cross cutting themes such as gender equality?
13B Advocacy, Policy & Systems
The biggest impact we can make is in positively changing policy and systems, so how can volunteering for climate action achieve this?
13C Awareness, Adaptation & Resilience
How can we harness volunteering for climate action models and practice to support communities and partner organisations to adapt and reduce their exposure to the effects of climate change?
13D Capacity Building
How can volunteering better build the capacity in partner organisations and networks that work in climate change to be more effective?
Recorded10:00-10:15 FJT/22:00-22:15 GMT (Tuesday 27)
MC: Amelia Rigsby & AnnMary Raduva
Recorded10:15-11:15 FJT/22:15-23:15 GMT (Tuesday 27)
Speakers: Boram Kim, Plan of Action Coordinator, UNV; Emma Morley, Chief of Voluntary Advisory Services, UNV
The global technical meeting on reimagining volunteering for the 2030 Agenda held in July 2020 issued a global call to action titled Volunteering in the Decade of Action. This session will explore how to keep this call to action alive through collective efforts and share some of the follow up actions under consideration following the successful convening of global stakeholders in July 2020 and as UNV concludes its mandate given by the United Nations General Assembly to coordinate the implementation of the plan of action to integrate volunteering into the 2030 Agenda.
0800 GMT+0 11:15-12:15 FJT/23:15-00:15 GMT (Tuesday 27)
Speaker: James O'Brien, Director, Forum; Jean Tan, Executive Director, Singapore International Foundation; Helene Perold, Director, Helene Perold and Associates; Aarathi Krishnan, Strategy and Foresight Advisor, UNDP.
This session will explore the impact of COVID-19 on the volunteering sector, our response to the pandemic and the longer-term impact it will have on how we work. It draws on initial findings from Forum’s research project on COVID-19 and the Future of Volunteering for Development.
12:15-13:00 FJT/00:15-01:00 GMT
13:00-14:30 FJT/01:00-02:30 GMT
Moderators:
| Hattaya Wongsaengpaiboon | VSO |
| Erin Bateman | WUSC |
| Paul Bird | AVI |
| Stephen Goodman | VSA |
Following the presentation by James O’Brien in Session 16, there will be workshops lasting approximately 15 minutes, with moderators rotating between groups, allowing for participants to attend each workshop. All groups will come back together at the end for moderators to share the findings from the workshops. These workshops will give attendees an opportunity to collaborate on innovative solutions and discuss best practices on the following topics:
COVID-19 has been as much an economic crisis as a health emergency. How can volunteering for development support economic growth?
Have our themes changes as a result of COVID-19, such as the need to strengthen health systems now?
How are new and emerging volunteering models, including online volunteering, meeting the needs of partner organisations and communities in the Global South?
What did we do well in responding to COVID-19 that we can apply to future emergencies?
1100 GMT+0 15:00-15:30 FJT/03:00-03:30 GMT
Speakers: James O'Brien, Forum; Paul Bird, CEO AVI Chair Forum
15:30-21:00/03:30-09:00 GMT
21:00-22:30 FJT/09:00-10:30 GMT
Moderators:
| Dr. Jacob Mwathi Mati | Researcher |
| Mark Cumming | Comhlámh |
| Paul Bird | AVI |
| Cliff Allum | Uni. Birmingham |
Following the presentation by James O’Brien in Session 16, there will be workshops lasting approximately 15 minutes, with moderators rotating between groups, allowing for participants to attend each workshop. All groups will come back together at the end for moderators to share the findings from the workshops. These workshops will give attendees an opportunity to collaborate on innovative solutions and discuss best practices on the following topics:
COVID-19 has been as much an economic crisis as a health emergency. How can volunteering for development support economic growth?
Have our themes changes as a result of COVID-19, such as the need to strengthen health systems now?
How are new and emerging volunteering models, including online volunteering, meeting the needs of partner organisations and communities in the Global South?
What did we do well in responding to COVID-19 that we can apply to future emergencies?
IVCO2020 is supported by the Australian Government and the Fiji Government.
