HIVOS – the Humanist Institute for Cooperation with Developing Countries or in Dutch Humanistisch Instituut voor Ontwikkelingssamenwerking – was set up as an NGO in 1968 in the Netherlands by the Dutch Humanist League, the Vereniging Weezenkas (United Orphans' Fund) and Humanitas.

Core Policy

HIVOS is an IHEU Specialist Member Organisation, and is guided by humanist values. It aims to contribute to a free, fair and sustainable world where citizens, women and men, have equal access to resources, opportunities and markets and can participate actively and equally in decision-making processes that determine their lives, their society and their future. HIVOS is committed to the poor and marginalised – and to the organisations which promote their interests – in countries in the South and in South-East Europe. Neither justice nor sustainable development can be brought about without gender equality; the multiple dimensions involved – social, political, economic, ecological and cultural – demand an integrated approach.

HIVOS explicitly defines its objectives and policy in the context of structural poverty alleviation. HIVOS views poverty and inequality as outcomes of decision-making processes from which large groups of women and men are excluded. The outcomes of these processes maintain the unjust distribution of material and immaterial resources, including rights and opportunities. HIVOS defines poverty also in a non-material sense.

Core Activity

HIVOS’ network embraces approx. 30 countries and over 850 partner organisations. In the course of 2003 HIVOS disbursed nearly 67 million Euro as grants or loans. These funds were provided by the Dutch government, the EU, donors and savers, and private institutions.

● Funding: HIVOS provides financial resources to organisations world-wide to enable them to carry out their activities and, in doing so, achieve their specific objectives as well as the objectives of HIVOS. HIVOS is willing to fund core costs of an organisation and is ready to take risks in funding new, untested initiatives.

● Linking and networking: HIVOS promotes and supports networking and exchanges between organisations world-wide, i.e. between organisations in the South & East, between organisations in South & East and North, and between organisations in the North. As a global actor HIVOS is well positioned to promote such networking.

● Lobbying: HIVOS’ lobbying activities focus on the Dutch government, Dutch decision-makers, the Dutch public opinion, the EU, the International Financial Institutions and other international organisations. Both at home and abroad, two main domains can be distinguished: lobby in order to reinforce 'civil society' positions in international co-operation, and issue-based lobbying related to HIVOS’ expertise.

● Education: HIVOS’ educational activities aim to reinforce the support base for international cooperation, to contribute to public awareness, and to stimulate critical reflection and debate on questions of just and sustainable development world-wide.

● Knowledge Sharing; HIVOS wants to unlock its own knowledge in a more systematic way to the benefit of its broad range of partners, and create a platform where partners themselves (and other interested groups and individuals) can add and exchange information and knowledge and learn from experiences elsewhere.

HIVOS also supports and participates in a number of special initiatives, such as the North-South Plan, the HIVOS Culture Fund and the "Access for all" programme. The North-South Plan, operated jointly by HIVOS and Triodos Bank, makes savings available for lending in the South. The HIVOS Culture Fund supports activities in the field of culture and the arts. "Access for all" is a campaign which HIVOS has developed to promote the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT).

HIVOS and the Tsunami

HIVOS committed itself to suppport emergency relief work being carried out by its partner agencies in Indonesia, Sri Lanka and India by contributing 1.1 million Euros. The Fisher folk Organisations SIFFS (India) and NAFSO (Sri Lanka) helped cater to the basic needs of disaster victims, providing food, drinking water, medication, clothing and soap. NAFSO sent a team of seven doctors and two nurses to the East of Sri Lanka, an area that has been particularly hard hit. In Indonesia, the farmer organisation Sintesa, based in the port city of Medan in North Sumatra province, is operating a centre for 17.000 victims in Aceh.

IHEU and HIVOS operate the IHEU-HIVOS Humanist Networking and Development Programme, which will be reported on in the next IHN.