08 January 2001

2001: International Year of Volunteers IAVE World Volunteer Conference 14-18 January 2001 in Amsterdam

The IAVE XVIth Biennial World Volunteer Conference will take place in Amsterdam, the Netherlands from 14 to 18 January 2001.
1500 participants from all over the world will meet in Amsterdam to discuss volunteer work. The World Volunteer Conference is being organized by the Dutch National Volunteer Centre (NOV) and IAVE, the International Association for Volunteer Effort. Her Majesty Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands will visit the conference as well as several important keynote speakers. On the 12th and 13th of January, just before the start of the main conference, the Youth Forum takes place. This is a preconference especially for youth.

Theme
The conference theme is: Volunteers: Capital of the Millennium -Integrating the Young and New. The main issues will be renewal of volunteer work and the participation of young people. Developments and the future of volunteer work will be discussed from an academic, management and practical point of view.

Global Action Plan and Universal Declaration on Volunteering
The conference will result in a Global Action Plan. This plan describes the actions concerning volunteer work as planned by volunteer organizations, governments, corporate and academic sectors. These actions will be related to the main aims of the international Year of Volunteers 2001, as formulated by the United Nations: Recognition, Facilitation, Networking and Promotion. Part of this plan will be a new version of the Universal Declaration on Volunteering. The Declaration addresses the fundamental value of volunteering to society as well as the rights and responsibilities of volunteers.

Presentation of publication Volunteering Worldwide to Queen Beatrix
On Tuesday the 16th of January Her Majesty Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands will visit the conference and will receive Volunteering Worldwide. This publication gives an overview of volunteer work in 21 countries and offers volunteering organizations many ideas for renewal. Volunteering Worldwide is a joint publication of the Netherlands Institute of Care and Welfare (NIZW) and IAVE.

Keynote speakers
The following keynote speakers will address the conference. Wim Kok (Prime Minister of the Netherlands) will open the conference at Sunday the 14th of January. During the conference there will be lectures from Gillian Sorenson (Assistant Secretary General For External Relations United Nations), Sharon Capeling Alakija (Executive Coordinator United Nations Volunteers), Carol Bellamy (International Executive Director Unicef), Frank Devlyn (Rotary International World President) Paul Boateng (Deputy Home Secretary of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom), Astrid Heiberg (President of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies), Pierre Sané (International Secretary Amnesty International), Jacques Moreillon (Secretary General of the World Organization of the Scout Movement) en Margo Vliegenthart (State Secretary of Health, Welfare and Sports of the Netherlands).

Partnership Meetings
Besides plenary meetings, more than 60 Partnership Meetings and workshops are organized daily. Partnership Meetings are small conferences that are taking place during the main conference. These Partnership Meetings are being organized by and for one specific organization (for example Unicef International and Amnesty International) or sector (for example the government and corporate sector).

Study Visits
The participants of the World Volunteer Conference will visit on Wednesday the 17th of January volunteer organizations and projects. In more than 21 different towns they will meet volunteers and hear about volunteer work in the host country. In almost every town the mayor or councillor will welcome the delegations.

Youth Forum preconference
On the 12th and 13th of January, just before the start of the conference, the Youth Forum preconference will take place. The Youth Forum will bring together approximately 200 young people from youth organizations that will discuss the participation of youth in volunteer work. They also prepare themselves for active participation during the World Volunteer Conference. In preparation for the preconference and the world conference a team of young volunteers from different regions and organizations are working together to create an environment for active participation of youth during and after the World Volunteer Conference. This team has been given the name YAM-team (Youth Activity Monitor Team). His Highness Prince Floris van Oranje-Nassau, van Vollenhoven will open the preconference.

International Year of Volunteers 2001
The conference is in light of the International Year of Volunteers 2001 as declared by the General Assembly of the United Nations. The International Year of Volunteers 2001 makes the IAVE XVIth World Volunteer Conference an even more special occasion.

End of this press release

Representatives of the press are kindly invited to attend the conference. For more information please look at our Internet site: www.volunteer.nl. You can also contact Mrs. Nienke van Helden, communications manager Dutch National Volunteer Centre (NOV) (nvhelden@nov.nl) or Mrs. Annemarieke Tazelaar, communications project co-ordinator (atazelaar@nov.nl), tel.: 31 30 2319844 or fax: 31 302343896. An information package for the press is available.

You can apply an invitation for the conference with the enclosed application form. Please enclose a copy of your press card. NOV, mrs. Nienke van Helden, P.O.Box 2877, 3500 GW, Utrecht, the Netherlands.