Lecturer supports development of global volunteering call to action

A global Call to Action aimed at improving recognition, support and safeguarding of volunteers has been developed with support from Dr Chris Millora, Lecturer in Educational Studies.

The Call to Action – which launched in New York with the backing of international voluntary organisations including the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and UNICEF Generation Unlimited – comes ahead of the United Nations declaration of 2026 as the International Year of Volunteers for Sustainable Development. 

Dr Millora supported the analysis of a survey, along with global dialogues delivered by volunteer organisations which Dr Millora designed. Responses from nearly 14,000 volunteers and stakeholders across 164 countries were drawn upon in the insight paper, which formed the evidence base for the Call of Action. Working closely with a sense-making group of volunteer sector leaders from around the world, Dr Millora also helped to shape the recommendations in the Call to Action.

International Year of Volunteers for Sustainable Development 

The Call to Action comes at a vital moment ahead of the UN’s International Year of Volunteers for Sustainable Development in 2026, which aims to elevate volunteering as a powerful mechanism for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. The Call offers a framework for action for 2026 and beyond, grounded in evidence from the lived experiences of volunteers around the world.   

Dr Millora's work reflects Goldsmiths' commitment to research which addresses the great challenges, tackling urgent global problems. 

Three priority action areas: recognition, support and safeguarding

The Call to Action outlines three priority action areas where governments, volunteer-involving organisations, donors, companies, and communities must act collectively: 

• Recognition: Volunteers should be systematically recognised and celebrated - not only symbolically, but through policies, funding, research, and meaningful participation in decision-making. This includes acknowledging diverse forms of volunteering, valuing local leadership, and integrating volunteering into national strategies.

• Support: Volunteering requires an enabling infrastructure. Governments, organisations, and volunteers must work together to develop inclusive policies, strengthen volunteer management and training, create opportunities for marginalised groups, and invest in volunteering at local and national levels. 

• Safeguarding: Volunteers and the communities they serve must be protected. This means embedding safety, rights, dignity, and wellbeing into laws, policies, organisational practice, and humanitarian standards - from preventing exploitation to ensuring volunteers are never used as unpaid substitutes for staff. 

The Call to Action was developed collectively by the Global Volunteering Forum (Forum), International Association for Volunteer Effort (IAVE), the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), UNICEF Generation Unlimited, and the Volunteer Groups Alliance (VGA), working closely with UN Volunteers (UNV). 

James O’Brien, Executive Director of Forum, said: “This Call to Action reflects a truly global effort, shaped by thousands of volunteers and organisations worldwide. As we enter the International Year of Volunteers for Sustainable Development, we have an unprecedented opportunity to build systems that recognise, support, and protect volunteers everywhere. This agenda is practical, ambitious, and long overdue.” 

Learning through social action  

Dr Millora's broader research explores learning in and through social action, such as volunteering or activism, with a particular focus on Global South contexts.  

In 2022, Dr Millora led the research on the State of the World's Volunteerism Report - the UN's flagship policy publication on volunteering for sustainable development.