South-South Cooperation and Volunteering

South-South cooperation and volunteering

South-South cooperation and volunteering tabs

What does the evidence say?

“South-South cooperation and volunteerism can drive forward sustainable development at a time when solidarity between people and communities is more important than ever.” (UNV, 2020)

South-South volunteering and inclusive development
  • Increased collaboration between neighbouring countries and interregionally – with volunteerism at its root – will help reap the greatest development benefits.
  • Southern countries have their own development approaches and volunteer cultures. Volunteer exchanges in the Global South promote the sharing and extension of common development pathways.
  • The ideal of reciprocity embedded in volunteers’ relationships with communities is a defining feature that makes international volunteering different from other forms of international aid. Diverse international volunteer partnerships offer meaningful alternatives over less equitable forms of aid.
  • The South-South exchange programmes produced the following benefits for partner organizations: institutional strengthening, adoption of good practices, closer interaction among partner organizations, acquisition of physical resources, creation of new partnerships and strengthening of weak partners.
  • Southern understandings of volunteerism and homegrown Southern volunteering solutions provide transferrable and replicable good practices among countries of the Global South.

Youth development
  • The youthful energy and ‘green’ enthusiasm of informal volunteers may greatly enhance otherwise mundane and routine services typically administered by full-time staff or long-term professional volunteers.
  • While international volunteers with varying capacities can contribute to organizations and communities in the Global South, they must nevertheless have sufficient and specific knowledge, skills and capacities to meet the development needs of Southern partners.
  • Youth volunteerism under SSC projects or programmes fulfilled the dual goals of contributing to community and national development and building volunteers’ skills. Volunteers were also able to develop networks that helped secure employment.

Gender and inclusion
  • South-South volunteers note that delivering a quality service depends on the recruitment and retention of volunteers, as well as learning and gender sensitivity.
  • One concern is that the hope that South-South volunteering would be a more equal or independent mode of cooperation is challenged by signs of that the racialized and gendered imaginaries of mainstream, Northern-led development persist.
  • Local volunteers can support inclusive, participatory approaches to South-South projects, gathering data and mobilizing grass-roots communities to ensure that all needs are assessed and met. International volunteers can channel the unique experiences and technical expertise from one developing country to another.

Evidence Products

Got something to add?
Become an Editor