The HIVOS-IICD Partnership

HIVOS’ mission is to strengthen emancipation, democratisation and to fight poverty in developing countries of Africa, Asia, Latin America and South-Eastern Europe. It operates via direct support to local partner NGOs. HIVOS’ network in 2005 included 784 local partners in 35 countries. Two of HIVOS’ distinguishing features are that it provides direct support for institutional strengthening of the local partners (ie. not only towards projects) and that it supports them for relatively extended periods of around 10 years.

IICD is a specialized organisation whose mission is to assist developing countries to realise locally owned sustainable development by harnessing the potential of ICT. In 2006 IICD had country operations active in Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Ecuador, Ghana, Jamaica, Mali, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia. It follows a sectorial approach, and the various sectors that its country programmes deal with are education, environment, governance, health and livelihoods/agriculture.

HIVOS and IICD have complementary added values which led them to set up this strategic partnership.

• IICD has internationally recognized expertise in ICT for Development, and  multidimensional approach (their Country Programmes) in those countries where it operates.

• HIVOS has substantive thematic developmental expertise in a range of areas like human rights, gender or microfinance, works through an extensive network of partners (locally and internationally), and is recognized as a leading European development NGO with significant financial resources to support its work.

Both organizations already joined forces in 2000, though an MoU which promoted activities in Bolivia, Tanzania and Uganda. One of the key differences in the 2003-2006 accord is that support went not just to individual projects but also to the overall IICD Country Programmes.

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