UN Declares 2026 the International Year of Volunteers

The International Year of Volunteers for Sustainable Development (IVY 2026) will officially launch on December 5, 2025—International Volunteer Day—with simultaneous events in over 80 countries worldwide.

A Global Call to Action

The centrepiece of the launch will be the unveiling of the "Call to Action for the Future of Volunteering" at the United Nations headquarters in New York. This document aims to emphasise the critical role of volunteers in advancing sustainable development and to encourage greater investment in volunteerism globally.

The Call to Action seeks commitments from governments and other stakeholders to support and create environments where volunteering can thrive. For charities in Australia and New Zealand, this represents an opportunity to align local volunteer programmes with global sustainable development goals.

Countries Already Mobilising

Kazakhstan has established the world's first National Organizing Committee for IVY2026, setting a model for other countries to follow. In New Zealand, Volunteering New Zealand and various Volunteer Centres are planning to co-design a national Call to Action to complement the global initiative.

The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme has unveiled the official IVY2026 logo, designed by Stefan Peters from Germany, which will be used throughout the year to promote volunteering activities worldwide.

What This Means for Charities

IVY2026 presents a significant opportunity for volunteer-involving organisations to:

• Raise the profile of their volunteer programmes
• Connect local volunteering to global sustainable development goals
• Advocate for greater government investment in volunteering infrastructure
• Recruit new volunteers attracted by the global spotlight on volunteerism