Abu Dhabi: More than 6,000 licences have been issued to volunteers in Abu Dhabi emirate over the last four months, the Department of Community Development (DCD) in Abu Dhabi has said.
The volunteer licensing service was launched by the DCD in September 2021 to facilitate and encourage volunteer activities and support community engagement.
The department provides three types of licences, including those for individuals, for groups of five or more people and for organisations that use volunteers in their operations and programmes.
Encouraging volunteering
“By issuing 6,000 volunteer licences, the DCD has contributed to promoting the concept of social responsibility and creating an integrated and sustainable system for volunteering, which is important to ensure social cohesion in Abu Dhabi. The policy of regulating volunteer work in Abu Dhabi is aimed at creating an efficient and effective volunteering environment by promoting awareness and encouraging participation from all segments of society. It also helps ensure professional standards and safety of volunteers, in addition to providing an opportunity to volunteers to register as individuals or teams without having to be affiliated with an entity or institution,” said Mubarak Al Ameri, executive director of the DCD’s Licensing and Control Sector.
According to Al Ameri, the regulation of the volunteering sector helps preserve the rights and defines the duties of volunteers. He also pointed out that DCD cooperates with the Emirates Foundation to encourage volunteering, and enables volunteers to obtain and promote opportunities through the official platform.
Supporting development
According to the policy launched by the department in 2020, the Authority of Social Contribution — Ma’an, which is part of DCD — the Emirates Foundation signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to create an environment that encourages volunteer work in Abu Dhabi. Al Ameri said that the MoU marked the beginning of a strategy to consolidate the sector and create an efficient and effective volunteering environment that supports social development efforts and enhances the economy.
How to apply
Obtaining a licence is a prerequisite for volunteering work in the emirate.
DCD invites individuals wishing to volunteer and obtain a licence to apply through the ‘Volunteers.ae’ platform, including filling out the form and attaching the required documents. Data will be reviewed, and a decision will be made whether to accept or reject if the conditions are not met. Issued licences are sent to the applicant via e-mail.
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Categories and eligibility
There are nine categories for volunteering in Abu Dhabi: Traditional volunteering, volunteering for social affairs, volunteering in emergencies, volunteering in events, virtual volunteering, volunteering for visitors, institutional volunteering, specialist volunteering, and overseas volunteering.
Additional conditions state that a volunteer must be at least 18 years old and anyone under this age may volunteer with the written consent of his or her guardian. A licensed volunteer is authorised to volunteer within the geographical boundaries of Abu Dhabi emirate.
