🕊️ CCIVS Advocacy
Volunteering for Peace since 1920
Why We Advocate
International Voluntary Service (IVS) is a powerful force for peace, intercultural dialogue, and community-led action. For over 100 years, the IVS movement has brought people from across the globe together to build mutual understanding, respond to local needs, and create a more just and inclusive world.
At CCIVS, we believe that volunteering is not only about service—it’s a practice of solidarity and a pathway to systemic change. But our work is increasingly challenged by global inequalities: from restrictive visa regimes and inaccessible funding to a lack of recognition for grassroots impact.
That’s why we advocate. To ensure that IVS remains a transformative space where young people, communities, and movements can work together toward peace, justice, and global cooperation.
The 5 Essential Advocacy Asks
Our shared priorities for a just, inclusive, and impactful IVS movement
These asks, shaped through decades of experience and global consultation, guide CCIVS advocacy from 2024 to 2027. They align with the SDGs, the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, and the 2026 Year of Volunteering for Sustainable Development.
Ask 1: Recognition of IVS
Ensure IVS is officially recognised in policies as a tool for peace, learning, and global cooperation.
Ask 2: Access to Cross-Border Volunteering
Simplify visa processes and remove mobility barriers—especially for youth from the Global South.
Ask 3: Climate Action through IVS
Support IVS as a force for ecological restoration, soil protection, and climate resilience.
Ask 4: Equitable Funding for Grassroots Organisations
Reform funding systems to allow small and youth-led organisations to access resources directly.
Ask 5: Human Rights and Justice in IVS
Embed non-discrimination, equity, and inclusion across all levels of IVS.
CCIVS Policy Papers
Deep dives into the issues that matter
These policy papers go beyond the framework of the 5 Asks. They explore structural injustice and propose concrete recommendations shaped by the lived experience of youth and communities in the IVS movement.
Freedom of Movement: A Call for Justice and Equality
A call to dismantle the barriers that prevent free and fair mobility for all—especially from the Global South.
Decolonising Visa Mechanisms
How current visa systems reinforce inequality—and how to create alternatives based on justice and solidarity.
Decolonising EU Youth Funding
This paper challenges the EU’s funding architecture and calls for fair access for Global South and grassroots actors.
Soil4Life Manifesto
A powerful ecological and ethical call to protect living soils, support agroecology, and regenerate life.
IVS4Peace Policy Paper
Recommendations for making IVS more inclusive for young migrants, refugees, and minority youth.
🔗 Get Involved
These papers are not just documents—they are tools for change.
✔️ Use them to educate, advocate, and take action
✔️ Share them with institutions, policymakers, and partners
✔️ Join us in building a more just and inclusive global movement
Contact CCIVS