International Forum United Volunteers From CIS Countries

The International Volunteer Forum of the CIS countries was held in Issyk-Kul region on 1-3 August. The Forum was timed to coincide with the Year of Volunteer Movement in the CIS and the 100^th anniversary of the formation of the Kara-Kyrgyz Autonomous Oblast. The event emphasized the role of the IPA CIS in improving the legal framework for the development of volunteerism.

About 120 young people from eight CIS countries took part in the Forum.

In the greeting to the participants of the Forum CIS Secretary General Sergey Lebedev, stressed that in the Commonwealth the strengthening of volunteerism traditions is considered as an important driving force for humanization of society. This approach is the basis of the CIS Concept of Cooperation Development in the Field of Supporting Youth Volunteer Movement. At the same time, the intensification of volunteerism is accompanied by the improvement of normative and legislative support for this activity, which was greatly facilitated by the adoption by the IPA CIS of a Model Law on Volunteering.

In recent years, the practice of information, methodological and expert cooperation in this area has significantly expanded. A number of joint projects in the spheres of environmental, cultural and sports volunteering are being implemented. In particular, the large-scale organization of the CIS Games in Russia in 2021 and in Belarus in 2023, the World Youth Festival in 2024 became possible largely due to the coordinated activities of volunteer helpers.

More than 140 thematic actions, meetings, conferences, studies and other events are planned for the Year of Volunteer Movement in the CIS. The Council for Youth Affairs of the CIS countries is working on the issue of defining basic organizations in this sphere.