Featured in the final plenary session, FIVB President Fabio Azevedo appeared alongside Olympic champion and changemaker Abhinav Bindra OLY, where they discussed how volleyball and sport more broadly - can drive meaningful change through collective action.

During the session, President Azevedo announced that the FIVB and the Volleyball Foundation would work together to further scale and sustain Volley4Change in Vanuatu and extend the initiative throughout the Pacific region.

VVF President Debbie Masauvakalo, who attended the Summit, described Volley4Change as a transformative programme focused on empowering individuals, breaking down barriers, and creating inclusive environments that build both personal and community capacity.

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Masauvakalo said the Vanuatu Volleyball Federation is very pleased that its program , Volley4Change (V4C), will be strengthened with the support of the FIVB Foundation.

“V4C program uses local coaches who are trained to deliver an inclusive program for women and people with a disability, working with local partners to reach the most rural communities and most at risk.

“Providing an introduction to sitting volleyball, nutrition, gender equality and the social norms and barriers women and PWD are challenged with to play sport.

“Other pacific countries have similar challenges and it's our hope that through the Volley4Change program other NF's will adapt to their needs V4C principles and sessions to make a bigger difference and grow volleyball in the pacific region,” she added.

Reflecting on her experience at the Summit, Masauvakalo said the highlight was “connecting with likeminded leaders, learning from their sport-for-development initiatives, and bringing those insights home to strengthen our own work.”

“I was especially inspired by projects focused on the environment and how sport can contribute to a more sustainable future,” she added.

In addition to leading VVF, Masauvakalo holds several key leadership roles in global sport governance. She serves on the FIVB Beach Volleyball Commission, the Asian Volleyball Confederation’s Beach Volleyball Committee, the Commonwealth Games Beach Volleyball Committee as Oceania’s representative, and is also a member of the Vanuatu Women in Sport Commission.