International Forum of Volunteer Initiatives "Meridian of Goodwill" commences at the National Centre RUSSIA
The International Forum of Volunteer Initiatives "Meridian of Goodwill" opened at the National Centre RUSSIA on 11 August. It brought together leaders of volunteer organisations, representatives of government authorities, civil society institutions, the expert community, youth organisations and international institutions. The forum aims to: develop international cooperation in volunteering; strengthen partnerships between youth and public organisations from the Commonwealth of Independent States; enhance the professional competencies of volunteer movement leaders; and develop joint initiatives to address pressing social challenges. Young leaders, heads of volunteer projects and public organisations from Russia, Armenia, Belorussia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan took part in the event.
"Each of us has our own professional experience, public projects and national traditions of volunteering, but we are all united by the desire to participate in the life of society, help people and find solutions together to important social and humanitarian challenges. Modern volunteering is much more than individual acts of assistance. It is a space for civic responsibility, professional development, public dialogue and international cooperation. It is the volunteer initiatives that often become the foundation for lasting human connections. By working on common tasks, people from different countries get to know each other better, learn to listen to different points of view and discover new opportunities for cooperation," said Angelika Trapeznikova, Executive Director of the "North – South" Political Science Centre, addressing the participants.
She added that such cooperation is particularly important for the CIS member states, as they share a common history, cultural affinity, professional contacts and numerous personal connections. According to her, preserving and developing these ties requires continuous dialogue, openness and joint practical work. At the same time, direct contacts between public organisations, experts, volunteers and youth leaders make cooperation more concrete and results-oriented. Joint projects are exactly what strengthens trust, creates new partnerships and fosters mutual understanding between people.
At the same time, as Angelika Trapeznikova noted, young people have a particularly important role to play in this work. It is important not only to involve them in existing activities, but also to create conditions in which they can put forward their own ideas, form teams and become agents of social change.
"We want the ideas voiced at the National Centre RUSSIA to become a reality after the forum — through professional contacts, partnership agreements and concrete initiatives," she said.
Experts will present the best Russian and international practices in volunteering, youth policy, public diplomacy, project management, digital technologies and civil society development.
"Representatives of different countries have gathered here, and this is wonderful, because cooperation between the CIS countries on volunteering is a priority. We understand each other, and our cultural codes contain a great deal of shared history. Moreover, the values of volunteering are present in the culture of each of our countries. This is a truly relevant area. This is also underlined by the fact that 2024 was the Year of the Volunteer Movement in the CIS. Just imagine: Presidents of our countries spoke about this as the most important topic for bringing our states together. The topic proved so relevant that it was subsequently taken up by the international community, and the year was proclaimed the Year of Volunteering by the UN General Assembly," said Leyla Badalova, Head of the International Cooperation Department at Dobro.rf Association.
Representatives of the CIS member states' delegations also sent their greetings to the forum participants. In particular, Rustam Kairyyev, member of the Assembly of the People of Kazakhstan and Chairman of the Union of Uyghur Youth of Kazakhstan, highlighted the considerable potential for developing the volunteer movement: "The development of volunteer initiatives includes environmental, social, cultural and digital volunteering. There are so many different and interesting areas <...> If we bring together the volunteer pool of our six countries, we are talking not about tens of thousands, not hundreds of thousands and not even millions. We are talking about tens of millions of volunteers. I hope that two days of our joint work will lead to us creating something bigger, something interesting, something important."
As part of the forum's opening, a Memorandum of Cooperation was also signed between the Youth Association of the Assembly of the People of Kyrgyzstan and the "North–South" Political Science Centre. The heads of the two organisations signed the document. The memorandum lays the foundation for long-term partnership, stronger expert and public cooperation, as well as the implementation of joint initiatives and projects. Particular attention will be given to developing youth cooperation, expanding expert dialogue and holding joint socially significant events. The signing of the memorandum marked an important step in strengthening cooperation between the two organisations and creating new opportunities for joint initiatives.
The forum will place particular emphasis on practical work. Representatives of the CIS member states will be able to exchange experience in implementing public initiatives, jointly develop international cooperation projects, establish professional contacts and identify promising areas for further cooperation.
The forum will conclude with the adoption of the "Meridian of Goodwill – 2026" Partnership Initiatives Roadmap. The joint document will set out priority areas for developing international cooperation between volunteer organisations of the CIS member states, as well as mechanisms for implementing joint projects, exchanging experience and developing humanitarian cooperation.
The forum programme includes a plenary session and practical sessions, masterclasses, case sessions, foresight and project laboratories dedicated to civil society development, youth leadership, international volunteering, the use of digital technologies and artificial intelligence in public activities, environmental and medical volunteering, preserving historical memory and developing international humanitarian cooperation.
The forum was organised by the "North – South" Political Science Centre. It is supported by the CIS Interstate Fund for Humanitarian Cooperation and aims to develop international humanitarian cooperation, strengthen partnerships between the CIS member states, share best practices in volunteering and develop joint public initiatives.
The masterclass gave every participant an opportunity to learn about the fundamentals of the profession and gain a new perspective on how a theatre production comes to life.
