“Volunteer programmes in the global South often seek to internationalize their efforts, but lack international networks and overseas partners and are not well integrated into the international development ecosystem” (UNV, State of the World's Volunteerism Report 2018). This project helps to strengthen and diversify China’s strong commitment to South-South Cooperation and creates opportunities for new partnerships and strong Chinese engagement with the UN system. Through the project, the Beijing Volunteer Service Federation (BVF) established international connections with 83 volunteer-involving organizations from 52 countries and regions. It hosted 20 visits with 420 delegates from volunteer-involving organizations worldwide, and sent 33 experts to visit potential partners or attend international knowledge-sharing events, such as Thailand’s South-South Knowledge Exchange on Youth Volunteering for the SDGs.

The project also has enabled China to take a substantial step forward in the internationalization of voluntary services. As of July 2020, China has 169 million registered volunteers (https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_8448589 ), this huge number of volunteers is a resource to achieve SDGs. The project assisted in developing new opportunities for Beijing volunteers, through joint efforts with the Chinese Government and civil society in international volunteer deployment and exploring innovative cooperation of overseas assistance. For example, BVF partnered with the China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation in the Chinese Foreign Aid Volunteer Programme to dispatch 10 Chinese representatives to Nepal and Myanmar for 6-12 months in support of local social and economic development. A volunteer manual and project guidance were designed to support volunteer deployment. During the third phase of the project, 6 Chinese UN volunteers were dispatched to four countries: Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, and Kenya to carry out volunteer services. The engagement of Chinese volunteers promoted the exchange of innovative solutions, knowledge and resources among developing countries.