About ICVolunteersSome History... The first seeds for ICVolunteers were planted in 1997, when Viola Krebs led the recruitment of more than 800 volunteers to help coordinate and report on the 12th World AIDS Conference in Geneva (Switzerland). Following the success of this event, individuals who wanted to continue to work together formed an ongoing team of conference organizers and volunteers. In 1999, "International Conference Volunteers" (ICV), an international non-governmental organization based in Geneva, was founded to provide a permanent structure for its work. Growth of Our Network and ActivitiesSince its creation, thanks to the support of its donors and its network of volunteers, ICVolunteers has continued its activities in terms of local, national and international conferences on current affairs, social, humanitarian, ecological and scientific topics. Over the years, ICVolunteers has extended its field of activities to several other initiatives and programs always within its core mission and in accordance to its values. Read about the history of the ICV logo. United Nations RecognitionIn 2003, ICVolunteers obtained associative status with the Department of Public Information of the United Nations (DPI). In 2005, the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations (ECOSOC) granted ICVolunteers special consultative status. This recognition has given us greater direct access to UN conferences and events, enabling us to provide our services more quickly and efficiently and contribute actively to UN discussions. Geographic ExpansionAs ICVolunteers has grown, our activities have become more decentralized. While an important part of our work continues to take place in and around Geneva, we now have offices and representatives in a number of other parts of the world. Creation of ICVolunteers FederationFeeling the need to adapt our institutional framework in accordance with our activities, ICVolunteers launched in October 2005 a new organizational structure, transforming itself into an international federation with national offices and associate partners in various parts of the world. |