IAVE’s biennial World Volunteer Conference, begun in 1970, creates a vital space within which to affirm a global culture of volunteering and the importance of volunteers to enhancing social cohesion. Each World Volunteer Conference celebrates volunteering, engages the widest diversity and global representation of volunteer leadership; considers current issues and global trends; provides space for thought leadership, sharing of knowledge and learning about policy and practice. More than anything, it creates bonds. Participants often say about the people they meet, they come as strangers, but they leave as friends!
IAVE is delighted to select Ghadan as hosts for the 2026 WVC! As with every WVC, we also chose Ghadan for the deep and important commitment to volunteering throughout the country. The concept of volunteering in Saudi is deeply intertwined with the importance of giving back and helping others, with Islam playing a significant role in encouraging voluntary service. Volunteering is also seen as a way to support the nation’s development goals, particularly Vision 2030, which aims to diversify the economy and promote sustainable development and is thus considered an important priority for the country. Volunteering is specifically listed as a national priority with the goal to engage 1 million people as volunteers by 2030. This goal has already been exceeded with current volunteers numbering 1.2 million.
Ghadan is a nonprofit social enterprise working at the heart of Saudi Arabia’s significant volunteer landscape. Since its founding in 2012, Ghadan has been a catalyst for community engagement, helping shape national volunteer strategies and supporting grassroots initiatives across the Kingdom and throughout the Arab Region. Ghadan works alongside public, private, and nonprofit partners to elevate the impact of volunteering through programs and platforms like the National Volunteer Portal and the Saudi National Volunteer Standard.
