The World Volunteer Web Speakers' Corner is an online space for discussing volunteering issues. Occasionally, the forum conducts discussions in thematic sessions, moderated by experienced volunteer sector leaders.

This email- and Web-based platform is for all individuals and organizations in the global volunteer community to share their ideas, knowledge and resources with their peers and learn from each other.

This forum is an initiative of the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme in partnership with the International Association for Volunteer Effort (IAVE), Merrill Associates and OneWorld. The forum is hosted by Dgroups, a joint initiative of Bellanet, DFID, Hivos, ICA, IICD, OneWorld, UNAIDS, and World Bank.

Readers registering with Dgroups for the first time are recommended to read Dgroups’ own privacy and user agreement statement before signing up to this forum.

Moderator & contact details

This discussion forum will occasionally host thematic discussions moderated by experienced volunteer sector leaders. The moderators will be introduced at the start of each thematic session.

If you face subscription problems, please contact the forum administrator at 

forumadmin AT worldvolunteerweb.org (replace "AT" with @)

What do we want to achieve?

The Speakers' Corner aims to facilitate free and open discussions about the key issues concerning volunteerism for development, especially about how volunteers contribute to the Millennium Development Goals. Our aims are to:

1. Help stakeholders from the volunteer community exchange ideas and opinions about the issues that affect their work.
2. Provide them with a platform to take their voices to policymakers in order to influence national, regional and global volunteer policies.

In real terms, this would mean that,

• It would be a time-bound, topics-based, result-oriented discussion forum.

• Periodically, we would select a topic and that topic would be critically analysed, featured with examples and best practices, discussed with challenges and opportunities and highlighted with policy implications, preconditions, successes and failures.

• All the discussions will be streamlined in a summary report each month and presented to the community, concerned authorities and various forums where volunteer community issues are being discussed, so that these can influence national, regional and global strategies.

What will we discuss?

Among the possible discussion topics are:

• volunteers & environmental sustainability;
• online volunteering;
• volunteering & ICT;
• volunteer management;
• volunteering legislations; and
• volunteers’ contribution to MDGs

Each topic will be discussed in a focused manner over a time-bound thematic module, the duration depending on relevance and interest. Future themes for discussion will be announced subsequently in the forum.

If you wish to suggest topics or issues for discussion, please send your suggestions to 

forumadmin AT worldvolunteerweb.org (replace "AT" with @)

Who should sign up?

This is an open space for debate, so anyone can join and participate in the discussions. We especially invite those who are active in the volunteer sector in developing countries and communities.

Members of civil society, volunteer-involving organizations, NGOs, youth groups, volunteers, volunteer administrators, trainers, agencies, governments, inter-governmental organizations and the private sector – anyone who desires to make a tangible contribution to the outcome of the discussions – are welcome to join the forum.

How to join?

Joining the discussion forum is easy and free. You can fill the subscription form on the site of Dgroups.

Or, you can send a blank email message to:

join-VolunteerWeb AT dgroups.org (replace "AT" with @)

In order to keep the forum secure and free from spammers, new members will be approved by the forum administrator. On successful sign-up, you will receive a welcome email message. After that, you will start receiving emails posted to the discussion forum. You can fully participate in the list through email itself.

So, join your community at the Speakers' Corner and have your say!