Press Releases

The Commissioner for Volunteering and NGOs, Mr Υiannis Υiannaki, participated as one of the four speakers, on Thursday, March 4, 2021, in the Webinar – Discussion organized by the United Nations-Volunteer Sector and the International Labor Organization, on the topic: “Measuring the value/offer of millions of volunteers, with the aim of understanding their invaluable contribution”.

The Commissioner presented the topic: “What aspects should be taken into account to create a favourable environment for recording the voluntary offer”.

The Commissioner presented the policies and initiatives that Cyprus has implemented in recent years, creating a favourable environment for the sector. The process of drafting the Strategy for Active Citizenship and Volunteering, the improvement of legislations that enhance the financial transparency and good governance of NGOs, the creation of infrastructure such as the “Volunteer House”, the insurance of volunteers when activated by the office, the organization of trainings and the issue of special protocols for volunteers, the implementation of targeted initiatives in schools to cultivate a culture of volunteerism and the implementation of the process for the recognition of Non-Formal and In-Formal Learning are some of the policies presented by the Commissioner.

One of the main conclusions of the conference is that in order to be more effective in recording and measure the value and contribution of volunteering, we must first create a favourable environment that will strengthen the field of volunteering. It was widely accepted that Cyprus is one of the few countries with a comprehensive policy framework for active citizenship and volunteering.

(EK/II)