The International Council of Voluntary Agencies (ICVA) is an independent, international association of non-profit, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) active in the fields of humanitarian assistance and development cooperation. ICVA's Coordinator is Ed Shenkenberg van Mierop of the Netherlands.

Established in 1962 to promote the development of voluntary agencies, ICVA today provides a permanent international liaison structure for NGO consultation and cooperation.

ICVA does not implement relief or development projects itself, but acts as an advocacy network for the more than 80 non-governmental organizations that form its membership.

In the field of humanitarian action, ICVA's mission is to promote system-wide communication, cooperation and coordination among its members, non-governmental agencies, international organizations and aid donors. Its programs focus on the strengthening of cooperation mechanisms, support and promotion of field coordination, and the development and dissemination of codes of conduct, professional standards, and other field performance guidelines. Priority areas are the allieviation of human suffering in natural and man-made disasters, promotion of human rights, strengthening civil society and deomcracy, upholding social and gender equity and sustaining human development.

As one of the three NGO networks on the United Nations' Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) (the other two being InterAction and the Steering Committee for Humanitarian Response), ICVA facilitates NGO input to the main international body in humanitarian coordination. ICVA is also actively involved in The Sphere Project which seeks to develop a set of minimum standards in humanitarian assistance to improve the quality of assistance and the accountability of aid agencies.

Since the early 1990s, ICVA has acted as a focal point for the Partnership in Action (PARinAC) program which supports the partnership betwen the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees and Non-Governmental Organizations. The PARinAC process has introduced new mechanisms for cooperation at the regional and national levels: "focal points" from UNHCR and NGOs are selected to identify areas where partnerships could be further strengthened.

Member agencies meet in a General Assembly at least once every five years - the last General Assembly took place in Geneva in October 1999. It decided that ICVA should maintain its focus on humanitarian issues, while also selecting some issues related to sustainable developemnt.

U.S. Member Agencies: Adventist Development and Relief Agency International; American Joint Distribution Committee; CARE; Church World Service; Episcopal Church Centre of the USA; InterAction; International Rescue Committee; Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service; World Vision International.

Internet
www.icva.ch
Desciption of ICVA and its programs

Address
International Council of Voluntary Agencies
48, chemin du Grand-Montfleury
1290 Versoix
Switzerland
Tel: 950.9600
Fax: 950.9609
E-mail: secretariat@icva.ch