The 27th IAVE World Volunteer Conference is organized by the International Association for Volunteer Effort (IAVE), sponsored by BNK Busan Bank and UPS, and hosted by Busan Metropolitan City Volunteer Center from 22-25 October 2024 in Busan, Republic of Korea.
Three members of IAVE’s Global Corporate Volunteer Council (GCVC) collaborated on a press release promoting next month’s World Volunteer Conference and the importance of corporate volunteering
- As the world grapples with major, interconnected crises, volunteer leaders at the 27th IAVE World Volunteer Conference will call attention to the powerful ways volunteers are meeting global needs, including the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
- Discovery Ltd., Fujitsu, and the Tata Group are among the global corporations joining volunteer leaders from nonprofit, government, and academic sectors for the October conference in Korea.
- The theme is “People Power: Creating a Sustainable Future through Volunteering.”
BUSAN, REPUBLIC OF KOREA — Global companies committed to corporate volunteering will join leaders from nonprofit, government, and academic volunteer programs at the 27th IAVE World Volunteer Conference in Busan, South Korea, this October to call attention to the impact that corporate volunteering is making on sustainable development around the world.
Corporations participating in the 27th IAVE World Volunteer Conference include Discovery Ltd., a global financial services organization with a unique Vitality Shared-value Insurance model; Fujitsu, which leverages world-leading technologies, including computing, networks, AI, data and security, and converging technologies to deliver exceptional value to customers worldwide; and the Tata Group, India’s largest global conglomerate, with a business presence in sectors like information technology, finance, electronics, mobility, energy, steel, and aviation.
The conference is organized by the International Association for Volunteer Effort (IAVE), sponsored by UPS and BNK Busan Bank, and hosted by Busan Metropolitan City Volunteer Centre at the BPEX Busan Port International Exhibition and Convention Centre in Busan, Republic of Korea, from 22-25 October 2024.
Sustainability is good business
The theme of the 27th IAVE World Volunteer Conference is “People Power: Creating a Sustainable Future through Volunteering.” Seminars and forums will focus on research and practical applications to achieve the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with presenters from more than 50 countries and conference participants representing more than 100 nations and every region of the world.
“As a global financial services organization, we recognize that our ability to do business is fundamentally linked to the sustainable wellbeing of the communities in which we operate,” said Andronica Mabuya, Senior Sustainability Specialist at Discovery. “Our greatest asset is our great people and our business ambition is to be a force for good. We invest in volunteering because it aligns with our Shared-value Insurance model to benefit our employees, our clients, our business and society at large.”
“For over 150 years, Tata Group has served as a contributor to the public good” said Chacko Thomas, Group Chief Sustainability Officer with Tata Sons. “Today, with over one million employees globally, the Tata Group’s corporate volunteering program has contributed over eight million hours. With a strong commitment to deepen and broaden volunteering across the Tata Group, we follow the big tent approach with a focus on impact volunteering. As a member of the Board of Directors of IAVE, we lend strength to IAVE’s stewardship in driving excellence in corporate volunteering.”
An investment in volunteering
Since 1970, IAVE has organized biennial, in-person conferences that bring together a diverse cross-section of volunteers and volunteering organizations from across the globe. Participants strengthen relationships, share best practices, are challenged by thought leaders, and come away energized by the ways volunteer efforts are improving communities worldwide.
“Our conference speakers from Fujitsu represent Fujitsu Global Delivery Unit, which offers a comprehensive service portfolio, backed by proven expertise in service integration,” said Sarah-Jane Littleford, Head of Responsible Business at Fujitsu Global Delivery. “Global Delivery Unit operates a network of Global Delivery Centers across seven countries, serving customers in over 180 countries. In 2023, the Global Delivery Centers reached over 59,000 community members through 16,000 hours of volunteering. This global reach, combined with a deep understanding of local markets, makes Fujitsu a trusted partner for businesses worldwide.”
“At IAVE, companies tell us all the time how valuable their employee volunteering programs are to keeping teams engaged,” said Nichole Cirillo, Executive Director of IAVE. “Volunteering programs bring out the sense of purpose that employees crave, animate corporate commitments to social responsibility, build skills that make better employees, and involve team members in creating a sense of shared value for the company.”
IAVE’s Global Corporate Volunteer Council (GCVC), of which Discovery, Fujitsu and the Tata Group are all members, is the only global, volunteering-focused network for multinational companies. Members share a commitment to supporting and promoting all forms of employee engagement in their communities. By equipping corporate social responsibility professionals with the tools and resources they need, GCVC helps its members advance their global employee volunteer programs departmentally and globally.
The 27th IAVE World Volunteer Conference will acknowledge how difficult progress has been toward Agenda 2030—the set of 17 Sustainable Development Goals adopted by every United Nations member in 2015—but will make the case that volunteer action has untapped potential to help the world meet those goals. In December, the United Nations recognized this potential when it announced that 2026 will be the International Year of Volunteers for Sustainable Development.
“People Power: Creating a Sustainable Future through Volunteering is a vision of hope for a better world,” Cirillo said. “Now, more than ever, we need to pay attention to the value of volunteering, and make sure volunteers are resourced and protected everywhere they work.”
Discovery Ltd.
Discovery Limited is a South African-founded financial services organization that operates in the healthcare, life assurance, short-term insurance, banking, savings and investment, and wellness markets. Since inception in 1992, Discovery has been guided by a clear core purpose – to make people healthier and to enhance and protect their lives. This has manifested in its globally-recognized Vitality Shared-Value insurance model, active in over 41 markets with over 40 million members. The model is exported and scaled through the Global Vitality Network, an alliance of some of the largest insurers across key markets including AIA (Asia), Ping An (China), Generali (Europe), Sumitomo (Japan), John Hancock (US), Manulife (Canada) and Vitality Life & Health (UK, wholly owned). Discovery trades on the Johannesburg Securities Exchange as DSY. Follow us on X @Discovery_SA.
Fujitsu
Fujitsu’s purpose is to make the world more sustainable by building trust in society through innovation. As the digital transformation partner of choice for customers in over 100 countries, our 124,000 employees work to resolve some of the greatest challenges facing humanity. Our range of services and solutions draw on five key technologies: Computing, Networks, AI, Data & Security, and Converging Technologies, which we bring together to deliver sustainability transformation. Fujitsu Limited (TSE:6702) reported consolidated revenues of 3.7 trillion yen (US$26 billion) for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2024 and remains the top digital services company in Japan by market share. Find out more: www.fujitsu.com.
The Tata Group
Founded by Jamsetji Tata in 1868, the Tata Group is a global enterprise, headquartered in India, comprising 30 companies across ten verticals. The group operates in more than 100 countries across six continents, with a mission “To improve the quality of life of the communities we serve globally, through long-term stakeholder value creation based on Leadership with Trust.” Tata Sons is the principal investment holding company and promoter of Tata companies. Sixty-six percent of the equity share capital of Tata Sons is held by philanthropic trusts, which support education, health, livelihood generation and art and culture. In 2022-23, the revenue of Tata companies, taken together, was $150 billion (INR 12 trillion). These companies collectively employ over 1 million people. Each Tata company or enterprise operates independently under the guidance and supervision of its own board of directors. There are 29 publicly listed Tata enterprises with a combined market capitalization of $350 billion as of February 2024.
International Association for Volunteer Effort (IAVE)
Since 1970, IAVE has created a more just and sustainable world by enabling the leaders, organizations, and environments that empower volunteers. IAVE invests in advocacy, leadership development, and knowledge creation and sharing. Its diverse member network includes volunteers, government agencies, multi-national agencies and institutions, academics, NGOs, businesses, and volunteer leadership organizations in over 125 countries. In October 2024, IAVE will convene its 27th World Volunteer Conference in Busan, South Korea. Learn more at iave.org.
About Busan Metropolitan City Volunteer Centre (Busan VC)
Busan Volunteer Center, an agency of Busan city government, oversees 16 regional volunteer centers, more than 2,100 volunteer groups, and nearly a million volunteers. The first center of its kind to be established nationwide in 1996, Busan VC is committed to growing a vision for implementing sustainable volunteer policies with the citizens of Busan. Key missions include strengthening volunteering capacity through enhanced cooperation between the center and private entities, and expanding the field of volunteering by encouraging voluntary participation. Learn more at busan1365.kr.
IAVE World Volunteer Conferences
Since 1970, IAVE has worked with local partners to organize more than two dozen international volunteer conferences across the globe. Volunteers, nonprofits, corporations, government agencies and academics come together to strengthen relationships, learn from thought leaders, share best practices, and be energized by how volunteer efforts are improving communities around the world. The first conference was held in Los Angeles in 1970. The Emirates Foundation hosted the last conference in Abu Dhabi in 2022. Learn more at iave.org/convening.