Department of Community Development launches a new volunteering policy in Abu Dhabi

• Al Mutawa: "The policy supports specialization-based voluntary work under the current circumstances."
• Provided the opportunity to register volunteering teams without the requirement to be affiliated with an entity or organization

Abu Dhabi: The Department of Community Development in Abu Dhabi (ADDCD) has launched a policy to organize voluntary work in the Emirate with the aim of creating an efficient and effective volunteering environment. This comes in order to kick-start  Abu Dhabi's volunteerism by raising awareness and encouraging participation across all layers of society so that anyone can volunteer under firm professional standards in a secure environment. The policy also provides the opportunity to register volunteering teams without the requirement to be affiliated with an entity or organization.

His Excellency Engineer Hamad Al Dhaheri, ADDCD’s Deputy, said, “As the regulatory body responsible for organizing and overseeing the social sector, we are pleased today to launch the volunteering policy in Abu Dhabi. This policy sets the foundations that govern the voluntary environment in the emirate, while ensuring the rights and duties of all individuals, teams, and the entities that attract them to kick-start  voluntary work within an organized framework that enhances community participation in Abu Dhabi.” Al Dhaheri continued, emphasizing that the “ADDCD is continuing its efforts to provide all the citizens and residents with an enabling environment to support volunteering activities, especially specialization-based voluntary work that needs specialized experts."

The Executive Director of the Community Engagement and Sports Sector, His Excellency Sultan Al Mutawa, said, “Through this policy, we seek to raise the value of volunteering in line with the aspirations of our wise leadership, which instilled in us the love of noble humanitarian work and helping others by providing necessary support when needed, especially in light of the circumstances facing the world at present. The policy provides the opportunity to register volunteering teams without the requirement to be affiliated with an entity or organization, which will help attract specialized medical individuals and teams to support the front line. This comes as a confirmation of the importance of volunteering in promoting community cohesion and supporting government agencies during crises.

Permits

The policy issues three types of permits: volunteer permits for individuals willing to volunteer; volunteer permits for teams of five individuals or more willing to volunteer without being affiliated with an entity or organization; and volunteer permits for entities that use volunteers. The third type of permits is issued to legal authorities, whether they were from the public sector, the private sector, or the third sector, that want to include volunteers in their operations or programs.

Rights and Duties

The policy reviewed a set of rights and duties for volunteers, volunteer teams, volunteer team leader, and entities that use volunteers. The policy includes detailed provisions for several rights and duties that ensure treatment on the basis of equality, fairness, and volunteering in a safe environment.

Ma'an

The Authority of Social Contributions (Ma'an) is also participating with the ADDCD in the implementation of this policy. Ma'an will play an important role in supporting the voluntary environment by spreading the culture of volunteerism and attracting volunteering opportunities in Abu Dhabi, in addition to creating opportunities for participation and voluntary community work in coordination with concerned authorities. The Authority works in partnership with the Emirates Foundation to prepare and implement training programs for specialized volunteers, as well as develop initiatives to promote community participation in volunteering and support the development of the third sector's capabilities in this regard.

Emirates Foundation

Emirates Foundation plays an important role in supporting ADDCD and the voluntary environment in Abu Dhabi by encouraging volunteerism and providing volunteering opportunities to volunteers through the digital platform volunteers.ae. It also works to encourage entities that use volunteers, as well as volunteer teams, to include volunteering opportunities on the platform. It also seeks to enable volunteerism in Abu Dhabi through actions like contributing to the Department and enabling it to manage and supervise the volunteer database and manage permits procedures. ADDCD recognizes the value of volunteers.ae and its significance for Abu Dhabi’s volunteering environment. It and encourages volunteers, volunteer teams, and entities that use volunteers to utilize the platform to obtain permits and provide volunteering opportunities.

© Press Release 2020