Hussain Al Balooshi.

Jamil Khan, Senior Reporter

The UAE will host the World Volunteering Conference next year in October in Abu Dhabi with the aim of playing a critical role as a bridge between volunteers and humanitarian organisations. This was said by Hussain Al Balooshi, Special Project Manager at Emirates Foundation for Youth Development.

He was part of the panel discussion of a special forum on Italy Solidarity Day at the Italian Pavilion in Expo 2020 Dubai. The day-long event will feature speakers from different humanitarian organisations around the world to analyse the serious impact that the COVID-19 pandemic had on some of the 17 SDGs that were affected by the crisis: rising poverty, the widening of the gender gap and social inequalities, the worsening correlation between environmental impact and health emergencies, the loss of education and training, the drop in income and employment.

The speakers at the forum explored the role of finance and impact investments to support development, innovation, and social inclusion processes all at once. “We are glad to announce our collaboration with the International Federation of Volunteering Efforts, USA to organize one of the world's biggest conference on volunteerism with the expected participating of over 1500 delegates from 120 countries. The objective of the conference is to provide a platform for global delegates to share their culture, experience, thoughts and challenges they are facing and as outcome for better future for volunteering efforts around the world," he told Gulf Today on the sidelines of the seminar.

He mentioned that they were working closely with their partners locally and internationally to make the upcoming conference a successful event for all stakeholders. He also praised the organisers of the Italy Solidarity Day at the Italian Pavilion to share their experience of local and regional efforts by 'our volunteers' during the COVID-19 and beyond. “The UAE has over 600,000 registered volunteers with the Ministry of Community Development and a number of volunteers are actively participating in daily activities like events, initiatives related to COVID-19 and others on the guidelines of the authorities.

This is a high season for volunteering work as huge demand in the UAE,” he said. He said “At Emirates Foundation, we do mobilise youth engagement in different segments of the community. We have a platform for volunteers in the UAE, with over 600,000 registered that participate in different activities on a daily basis. The COVID-19 was a test for us and our strength was shown by how the volunteers reacted and how our government agencies supported engagements. The health sector, the Civil Defence, the police, supported volunteers giving back to the community.”

The special forum was officially opened by Elena Bonetti, Italian Minister for Family and Equal Opportunities, who said: “Solidarity is a core value of our history and our identity. Here at Expo 2020, we recognise the urgency and need for more solidarity to solve future challenges. We are all aware that the pandemic has dramatically increased all inequalities, inequalities that already existed in our society.

During the pandemic the number of people living in poverty has risen by 120 million, 1.6 billion students were not in school and 9 million children were forced to work. Now, we have to work on these inequalities for a more sustainable development.” Hessa Tahlak, UAE Assistant Undersecretary of Social Development, presented the Ministry of Community Development in the UAE on the occasion of Italian Solidarity Day, said: “We at the UAE affirm that our developments are based on solidarity, interdependence, partnership and cooperation. These are the general principles of the Ministry of CD of the UAE, which represents the social sector with the vision of 'from care to development.' And with a principle of a cohesive family and cohesive society."