Volunteering as social infrastructure for the 2030 Agenda

Within the framework of Panel 4, dedicated to Sustainable Development Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities, it was underscored that volunteering not only complements urban public policies, but also plays a fundamental role in strengthening social cohesion, community resilience and the sustainability of cities. Drawing on the experience of Chile, it was highlighted that volunteer networks help prepare communities for climate-related emergencies and contribute to reducing social gaps in highly unequal urban contexts.

“Sustainable cities are not built solely through planning or physical infrastructure, but also through organized and committed communities. Volunteering is social infrastructure,” said Mauricio Fuentes, Coordinator of the Unit for Volunteering and Citizen Participation at the National Youth Institute (INJUV) of Chile and national focal point for the International Year of Volunteering for Sustainable Development (IVY 2026).

From a governmental perspective, emphasis was placed on the need to recognize the contribution of volunteers who sustain community-based processes in local territories. In particular, it was noted that one of the main challenges for States is to work in a more articulated manner with communities in the implementation of public policies, especially in areas such as housing, land-use planning and urban development, where collective and voluntary action is indispensable to building the cities societies aspire to live in.

Institutional frameworks and civic participation

Discussions during the Forum also highlighted institutional advances in the region. The delegation of Guatemala presented its Law for the Promotion of Volunteering as an example of effective coordination between the State and civil society, aimed at recognizing, facilitating and strengthening voluntary action as an integral part of sustainable development.

Likewise, contributions from the Forum of Children, Adolescents and Youth and the Meeting of the Civil Society Participation Mechanism for the Sustainable Development Agenda emphasized volunteering as a central pathway for civic participation. In these spaces, volunteering was highlighted as a means to expand and democratize engagement in public affairs, strengthen social cohesion and community resilience, and promote active citizenship at the local level, reinforcing community organization, the exercise of rights and dialogue between communities and institutions.

IVY 2026: An opportunity to strengthen voluntary action

Overall, the reflections emerging from the Forum conveyed a clear message: advancing the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals requires not only institutional capacities and technical resources, but also a strong social infrastructure, grounded in active, organized and committed citizenship.

It is precisely volunteers who, through their sustained action, make it possible to articulate communities, institutions and public policies. The International Year of Volunteers for Sustainable Development (IVY 2026) offers a strategic opportunity to recognize and make visible this contribution, strengthen the conditions under which volunteering takes place, and enhance its role in accelerating the implementation of the 2030 Agenda in Latin America and the Caribbean.