Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what role they see for (1) UK and other international volunteers, and (2) the mobilisation of community and national volunteers within ODA-recipient countries, in the delivery of the UK’s development goals.

The UK Government understands the unique contribution volunteers can make to sustainable development, including the FCDO's seven priority areas. During the Covid-19 response, our Volunteering for Development (V4D) programme has demonstrated the utility of local community and national volunteers, who can mobilise as first responders even where national and international travel is restricted.

The UK Government was pleased to fund the Global Standard for Volunteering, launched in 2019, which sets a useful benchmark for how volunteers can be deployed in a responsible, effective and safe way.