International partners
We collaborate on an international level with various secular and humanistic organisations and together we campaign on a global basis for the representation and support of people without confession or religion.
International Humanist and Ethics Union
Humanists International (HI, formerly International Humanist and Ethics Union IHEU) is a union of more than 150 non-religious humanistic and secular organisations in over 40 countries. It was founded in 1952 during the first World Humanist Congress in Amsterdam and today it has its headquarters in London. HI campaigns for religious and ideological freedom, for the separation between state and religious institutions and for the adherence to human rights. HI is accredited with the United Nations in Geneva and New York as well as with the Council of Europe as a non-government organisation with consultative status. It has observation status with the African Human Rights Commission and Peoples Rights. In addition HI represents its aims with the European Commission, the European Parliament and the Organisation for Safety and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).
Every year HI organises the World Humanistic Congress in collaboration with a member organisation. In addition it issues the annual Freedom of Thought Reports.
European Humanist Federation
The European Humanist Federation (EHF) is a union of more than 60 European non-religious humanistic, free-thinking and secular organisations. The EHF’s core concerns include a commitment for humanistic principles, the maintenance or the establishment of separation of church and state, and the commitment for human rights and against discrimination of non-religious people
In order to reach its aims the EHF advises the OSZE’s European Council and the European Unions’ institutions. The EHF organises an annual conference. The FVS plans to host the EHF-conference in Switzerland early in the 2020s.
European Humanist Professionals
The European Humanist Professionals (EHP) are a subsidiary organisation of the European Humanist Federation for persons who are professionally engaged by humanistic organisations. Among them are ritual companions, teachers for humanistic ethics and persons offering secular alternatives to religious spiritual guidance. The EHP organises conferences and other exchange opportunities and it offers training opportunities.
When designing their own ritual offerings (see humanistische-rituale.ch), the free thinkers benefited from the experience of the EHP and its affiliated experts from several countries.
Giordano Bruno Stiftung
The Giordano Bruno Stiftung (gbs) is a think tank for humanism and enlightenment that aligns itself with the evolutionary humanism concept. Numerous renowned scientists, philosophers and artists are affiliated with it. Currently more than 8,500 supporting members sponsor the aims of the Giordano Bruno Trust.
The gbs, based in Oberwesel (Germany), was founded in 2004 as a non-profit trust for the promotion of evolutionary humanism. It promotes critical thinking, a scientific world view and also a secular, humanistic oriented and scientifically based ethic and policy. The trust collects insights from humanities, social and natural sciences with the aim of developing solutions for a peaceful and equal rights cohabitation in this world. Members of the trust’s board – currently about 60 people, among them mainly scientists, authors and artists – take part in public-political debates with policy statements. The work for advisory board in an honorary capacity.
Humanistischer Pressedienst
The Humanistischer Pressedienst (hpd) (Humanistic Press Service) presents enlightening, humanistic and progressive comments on current events. It promotes social debates and supports political activities.
It was conceived at the initiative of the Giordano Bruno Stiftung and the Humanistic Association Germany and it went on-line in 2006. Thanks to the involvement of its mainly voluntary editors, correspondents and authors in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, the portal quickly established a high acceptance that reached far beyond the secular-humanistic movement. With 6,500 visitors per day, hpd is the most important German language on-line medium on secular and humanistic subjects.
European Secularist Network
The European Secularist Network is a network of organisations from various European countries which share the same struggle for secularist values: freedom, equality and solidarity. They are committed to the promotion and defence of secularism, a universal principle guaranteeing individual freedoms and peaceful coexistence of philosophical opinions and religious convictions.