Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 29, 2026

Hivos

Hivos is a human rights and social justice organization. It supports organizations and movements that address a broad range of human, civil, and political rights in The Americas, Africa, Europe, and Southwest Asia and North Africa (SWANA). It is one of very few INGOs with a distinctly humanist ethos.

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Jun 29, 2026
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Hivos
FoundedJanuary 5, 1968 (1968-01-05)1
FocusFree and sustainable world
Location
Region served
The Americas, Africa, Latin America, Europe, Southwest Asia and North Africa
MethodGrants, funding, campaigns
Key people
Marco de Ponte, Chief Executive Officer3
Endowment69 million in 2019 4
Employees289 (excluding Yayasan Humanis) in 2022
Websitehttps://hivos.org
https://hivos.org/about-hivos/our-organization/ https://hivos.org/document/annual-report-2022/

Hivos (Dutch: Humanistisch Instituut voor Ontwikkelingssamenwerking, Humanist Institute for Development Cooperation)1 is a human rights and social justice organization. It supports organizations and movements that address a broad range of human, civil, and political rights in The Americas, Africa, Europe, and Southwest Asia and North Africa (SWANA).5 It is one of very few INGOs with a distinctly humanist ethos.

History

Hivos emerged out of the organized humanist movement in the decades following the establishment of Humanists International in Amsterdam in 1952, as a culmination of Dutch humanists' growing desire to have a meaningful social impact through international development. Thus, Hivos was founded in 1968 by the Dutch Humanist Association, the Association and Humanitas Weezenkas.6 The founders held the conviction that development work should be secular, as true cooperation presumes respect for differing beliefs. In the first ever brochure, the founders wrote that “necessary changes should spring from communities themselves – from people at the base of society.” These convictions are still reflected in Hivos its work.

In the 1980s and 1990s, Hivos was one of the first major Dutch NGOs that opened offices in the Global South to operate in the close vicinity of its civil society partners, beneficiaries and other stakeholders there.

Aim

Hivos works with partners, rightsholders, and allies to ensure civil society actors and movements can bring about and shape equitable, just, and inclusive societies. 7

Focus

Hivos prioritizes the civil and political rights of both organized and informal members of civil society, including independent media and cultural actors, community organizations, and human rights defenders. In particular, if they are directly at risk or if they are able, individually or collectively, to inspire popular movements for progressive change. Hivos also works to combat shrinking civic space by creating supportive environments for civil society organizations. 8

Hivos often uses the economic, social, and/or human rights of excluded groups as an entry point, for example through women’s empowerment and LGBTQI+ rights initiatives.5

Organization

Location

Hivos' Global Office is in The Hague, The Netherlands. Hivos currently works in 40 countries9 and has offices in Latin America, East Africa, Southern Africa and Southwest Asia and North Africa (SWANA). In 2021, Hivos handed over its Southeast Asia activities to the NGO Yayasan Humanis in Indonesia. 10

Governance

As of 2026, Hivos is managed by the Chief Executive Officer Marco De Ponte and a Core Leadership Team that includes the heads of the following departments: Programs; Business Development; External Engagement; Finance & Information Systems; and People & Culture. The supervisory board is chaired by Diana Monissen. 11

References

References

  1. "History". Hivos International. Retrieved 17 June 2018.
  2. "About Hivos". Hivos International. Retrieved 17 June 2018.
  3. "Hivos welcomes new chief executive officer". Hivos International. 23 January 2025. Retrieved 1 April 2025.
  4. "Hivos facts and figures 2011".
  5. "Vision and values". Hivos. Retrieved 2026-05-05.
  6. Bieckmann, Frans; Lammers, Ellen (2008). Hivos! 1968 - 2008: een onvoltooide geschiedenis ; van hulp naar andersglobalisme. Amsterdam: Mets & Schilt. ISBN 978-90-5330-631-4.
  7. "How we work". Hivos. Retrieved 2026-05-05.
  8. "Our role". Hivos. Retrieved 2026-05-05.
  9. "Where we work". Hivos. Retrieved 2026-05-05.
  10. "Who we are |". Yayasan Humanis Dan Inovasi Sosial. Retrieved 2024-02-16.
  11. "Our organization". Hivos. Retrieved 2026-05-05.