The General Assembly of the Terre des Hommes International Federation, an association of national Terre des Hommes member organizations, recently elected Joshua Hofert as its new Chairman. The 29-year-old also serves as Director of Communications and Spokesperson for Terre des Hommes Germany. Prior to his appointment to the board in 2022, Joshua Hofert worked in program and policy for Terre des Hommes , the United Nations in Bangkok, and the German Federal Foreign Office in Berlin.
Anne Hassberger, Secretary General of Terre des Hommes Suisse, was elected Vice Chair; Paolo Ferrara, Director General of Terre des Hommes Italy, was confirmed as Treasurer of the International Board.
“I am honored to have been appointed the new President of the Terre des Hommes International Federation,” said Joshua Hofert. “My path first crossed with Terre des Hommes 15 years ago. Since then, I have valued the partnerships with local organizations in the Global South and the participation of children and young people, for which Terre des Hommes stands and in which it has extensive experience. Today, the situation for children worldwide is alarming: 520 million children are growing up in war zones and crisis regions, 85 million children are not attending school, and 138 million children have to work, 54 million of them under exploitative conditions. At the same time, governments are currently cutting their budgets for international cooperation and humanitarian aid. It is therefore more important than ever that we, as civil society, join forces to protect and empower children.”
The Terre des Hommes International Federation is an alliance of children's rights organizations based in Europe. Last year, its member organizations funded 983 projects in 68 countries worldwide, supporting nearly seven million children, young people, and their communities. Terre des Hommes has more than 250,000 members and supporters. The Federation coordinates the programs and political work of its independent member organizations.
"Anne Hassberger, Paolo Ferrara and I look forward to further strengthening the important work of Terre des Hommes International Federation for the benefit of children today and tomorrow," Joshua Hofert concluded.