An overview of the analysis and conclusions identified in the VOALA project – Identifying challenges, good practices and recommendations for volunteering in civil protection in the Baltic Sea Region

This document is the outcome of the international project "Volunteers and Local Authorities – Baltic Sea Region Network (VOALA)," implemented in the Baltic Sea Region countries from 2022 to 2024. The project aimed to enhance societal resilience to natural and man-made disasters by strengthening inclusive, cross-sectoral cooperation between authorities and volunteer organisations in crisis management across the Baltic Sea Region.

The recommendations presented here are the result of a comprehensive process of analysis, workshops, and consultations conducted in the Baltic Sea Region countries: Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Sweden. The document draws from national roundtable meetings organized with civil protection authorities and volunteer organizations in Copenhagen, Helsinki, Hamburg, Riga, and Stockholm; the international conference "Volunteering in Civil Protection and Disaster Management: How to Strengthen Cooperation Between Authorities and Volunteer Organizations in the Baltic Sea Region?" held on June 19-20, 2023, in Hamburg; and the international roundtable for cities, "Cooperation with Volunteer Organizations Active in the Field of Civil Protection and Building a Resilient Society," held on September 12-14, 2023, in Gdańsk.

These events were attended by civil society organisations, civil protection authorities, and other relevant state authorities at both the national and local levels, as well as international organisations such as the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), the Nordic Council of Ministers, the Union of Baltic Cities, academia, and young volunteers from the Baltic Sea Region countries and beyond.

These recommendations are intended for civil protection agencies and other state authorities with a mandate to engage with volunteer organisations.