Name: International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU)

Founded: 1952

Organization Structure: Democratic membership non-profit bringing together more than 100 organizations in 40 countries. Headquartered in London, UK, IHEU also has staff in India, Nigeria, Uganda and the USA.

Purpose: The purpose of the IHEU is to promote Humanism throughout the world, to develop Humanism as a life stance, to represent organized Humanism in international bodies, to defend human rights and the rights of humanists, to develop organized Humanism in every part of the world, and to build a strong and effective global organization.

Activities: IHEU campaigns for human rights and separation of religion and government. It sponsors conferences, including the triannual World Humanist Congress. IHEU publishes a quarterly magazine, International Humanist News, plus an annual magazine in French, Informations Humanistes Internationales. It represents humanist opinion at the United Nations, UNESCO, UNICEF, the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, and other international forums. In the past 15 years it has distributed more than a million Euros to humanist projects in the developing world.

Membership: IHEU has more than 100 Member Organizations from 40 countries on six continents. They range from national membership groups to specialist bodies such as publishers, universities and development agencies. Common activities include:

• Humanist ceremonies for members and other non-religious people
• Humanist education for children and adults
• Critiques of religion and promotion of secular ethics
• Social work and activism for a more humane society
• Advocacy and lobbying for separation of religion and government
• Support for local communities, youth networks, and membership conferences.