Humanists International have issued their annual report for 2023.
The World Humanist Congress held in August 2023 was attended by 400 delegates from 43 countries who discussed and adopted a new declaration, ‘Democracy: a humanist value’ (for the full text of the declaration please see TAHJ July 2024 edition).
The Humanist International Board has 13 members of whom eight are women. The Board includes two representatives from Africa – Vice-President Roslyn Mould (Ghana) and Leo Igwe (Nigeria).
The General Assembly, which met concurrently with the Congress, approved three new HI members from Africa. They are: Ethical Society of Zambia, Free Thought Association (Namibia), and Kenya Humanists. Accra Atheists became an associate member. There are now 127 members and associates in all, of which 23 are in Africa.
During 2023 Humanists International invested £95,000 (45.5% of its total income) in its Growth and Development Programme aimed at empowering member and associate organisations in developing countries to undertake critical projects. These focussed on strengthening organizational structures, promoting digital advancements, fostering regional collaboration, developing humanist ceremonies, engaging young humanists, and introducing new communities to humanism through “Cafe Humaniste” pop-up events.
Regarding Humanists at risk, demand for support continued to be high. 145 people asked for assistance in 2023, 96 of whom had not asked for help before.
Humanists International also continued to prioritise advocacy work at key institutions within the United Nations system. HI delivered 30 statements, helped influence the development of 12 UN resolutions, and undertook 16 joint actions with other NGOs.
Continuing to empower its network, HI trained 23 representatives from 7 member organisations, equipping them with advocacy skills.
Finally, the report notes that a new President of HI will be elected in 2025.