For a World Which Values Children

2011 has been a turning point for the management of the Terre des Hommes International Federation (TDHIF). After a four year journey the new Statutes and internal rules have been approved, a whole re-engineering of the internal structure, including the introduction of a Secretary General. This means that the long process towards a new Federation has been completed, which now includes the new name, Terre des Hommes International Federation, new internal rules and regulations, and a new management system. 2011 has been an important year for children with the adoption, by the United Nations, of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on a Communications Procedure, and by the ILO of the Convention on Decent Work for Domestic Workers. Terre des Hommes has supported the drawing up of these Conventions, which filled a long-standing gap in human rights standards. There is still, however, a distance to go between these standards, and the reality where millions of children are deprived of the basic conditions to live a decent life. This dichotomy determines the mission of Terre des Hommes, which participates in international and European fora to advance protection standards for children, and which stands alongside the most deprived, with concrete provisions of relevant and sustainable services. In 2011, Terre des Hommes has also continued to navigate on turbulent grounds, to fulfil this mission through 1043 development and humanitarian aid projects in 72 countries. The year 2011 has passed through economic crisis, the turmoil of the Arab Spring, and the outbreak of acute emergencies, such as extreme hunger in the Horn of Africa. An acceleration of transformations in the world can be witnessed as well, including the concept of development aid itself, and of its major actors.