The annual International Volunteer Co-operation Organisations (IVCO) conference saw heads of global volunteer-sending agencies gather to discuss international volunteerism and community development. The 2010 conference, was held for the first time in Singapore, with the focus on Asia. It is presented jointly by the International FORUM on Development Service (FORUM) and the Singapore International Foundation (SIF). International industry practitioners and thought leaders presented their experiences and learning, highlighting innovative ideas and good practices in each area of international volunteerism (IV) and development. For the first time, new research findings were introduced on strategic perspectives and good practices in IV from Asia.
Mr Brian Rockliffe, OBE, Director, Voluntary Service Overseas, United Kingdom, introduces the issue about climate change, where people had known about the problem a couple of decades ago at the very least and only recently has this become more prominent as an issue. He also discusses how each agency should reflect on how each of their works impact on the environment and decide what steps to undertake based on this.