4th Edition of the Annual Forum of National Volunteer Agencies of the ECOWAS region on the challenges of Member States during the Covid-19 crisis
03 Oct, 2021| The Youth and Sports Development Centre, which hosts the ECOWAS Volunteer Programme, is organising the fourth edition of the annual forum of the National Volunteer Agencies of the ECOWAS region from 4 to 6 October 2021 in Saly-Mbour, Senegal. The theme for this year’s edition is: “Sub-regional volunteering in the light of Covid-19 in the ECOWAS region”, was chosen because of its current relevance and the various challenges facing Member States. The general objective of this 4th edition of the ECOWAS volunteer organizations forum is to create a platform for the exchange and sharing of experiences on volunteers’ contribution to finding an end to the Covid-19 pandemic in Member States.
Specifically, the forum aims to assess the status of implementation of decisions taken during the last edition; identify the effects of post Covid-19 health crisis on volunteerism in ECOWAS Member States; to promote the exchange of experiences on the responses from volunteer organizations to the pandemic (successes, constraints, opportunities, etc.); and lastly, produce a report with operational and relevant proposals on how volunteerism can find long-term solutions to the health crisis in the West African sub-region. The meeting is hybrid with about 60 in-person participants and the ensuing meetings will be by videoconference. Several organisations will be participating in this 4th edition, including the National Volunteer Agencies of ECOWAS Member States, ECOWAS Focal Points (National Offices), technical and financial partners (UNVP, AU-YVC, France Volontaires, AfDB, CONFEJES, Universities, WAHO), civil society organisations, the volunteer corps, non-ECOWAS countries that wish to strengthen ties with ECOWAS volunteer programmes, ECOWAS Special Representatives in volunteer-hosting countries (Liberia) and the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS). |
