Executive summary

There is widespread agreement that the future development agenda has to see some radical shifts to better engage people in their own, their community’s and country’s development. Enhanced mechanisms for civic engagement are needed to enable new discussions, negotiations and decisions. This report shows, using a body of knowledge collected through case studies, that volunteerism provides a key channel for this engagement from the local through to the national and global contexts. As local to global levels become more linked through new governance actors, so too volunteerism is adapting and changing; active and global citizens are already engaged in different ways, at different levels, to address core traditional and emerging governance issues.

Sustainable Development Goals:

Decent Work and Economic Growth

Partnerships for the Goals

Sustainable Cities and Communities