Opening the event, Tapiwa Kamuruko, Chief of the Volunteer Advisory Services Section at the United Nations Volunteers (UNV), reflected on the webinar series and its focus on understanding and measuring volunteerism.

“The challenge was clear: how do we expand our message in a meaningful way without overextending the team?” Running a high-frequency campaign across multiple social media platforms for three months takes time, consistency and sustained effort. “Our goals were ambitious. We wanted to educate, raise awareness, convince and inspire people about the United Nations. But our resources were limited,” shared Ahmed Ben Lassoued. Organic reach on social media is hard to scale, especially with such a diverse audience. 

A major outcome of the Forum was the inclusion of volunteerism in the Ministerial Declaration, recognizing volunteers' contributions to supporting communities, strengthening resilience and advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This recognition is an important milestone for IVY 2026 and shows growing global support for volunteerism as a driver of sustainable development.

From Guinea to Nicaragua, from North Macedonia to Uzbekistan, and from Australia to Peru, these Online Volunteers who joined the campaign come from geographically diverse places. Some are students, others are professionals. They are connected by a shared belief that peace begins with dialogue.As these Online Volunteers are the experts and influencers within their communities, they are able to lead peace and security dialogues that are tailored to the specific context in which they are set.