Collaborative workshop to strengthen the foundations of volunteering in Mongolia

On 31 May 2024, the program hosted a collaborative workshop on 'Strengthening the Foundations of Volunteering in Mongolia,' which brought together 33 representatives from 23 organisations, including volunteer-involving organisations, government representatives and international organisations.

The workshop consisted of two parts: presentations and discussions on the definition of volunteering in Mongolia; and the application of the Global Volunteering Standard in the national context. 

Ms. Saranchuluun, Founder of Achilles International Mongolia and lecturer at the Public Health School of the Mongolian National University of Health Science, provided an informative presentation on volunteering definitions that served as a foundation for a rigorous group discussion to define volunteering in the Mongolian context. Participants arrived at a consensus with the following definition (which has been translated into English):

Volunteering is the time voluntary giving for the public good, regardless of financial gain.

Ms. Undral, Chairwoman of the Network of Mongolian Volunteering Organisations, presented on the Global Volunteering Standard, explaining how volunteer-involving organisations can adopt the standard in full or in part to learn, improve and align their organisation with a comprehensive set of good practices. This presentation served as a foundation for further discussion on the opportunities the Global Volunteering Standard presents and what actions should be taken to localise this standard. The group developed an agreed list of shared activities to that could be taken forward to the Government of Mongolia following parliamentary and local elections.