SOS-Kinderdorf International, the umbrella organisation to which all national SOS Children's Village associations are affiliated, has the following worldwide tasks:
- to guarantee observation of the basic principles of SOS Children's Village work and of the educational and administrative guidelines
- to support the national associations in their work on the basis of the SOS Children's Village philosophy.
The General Assembly, which is convened every four years, is the supreme decision-making body. Each member association (currently 115 national associations) has the right to participate and vote at the General Assembly of SOS-Kinderdorf International. The Assembly elects the President and Vice-President for a four-year term of office as well as the members of the board, called International Senate.
The International Senate consists of a maximum of 20 members plus the President and the Vice President, serving a four-year term of office. Some of the main tasks of the International Senate are:
- Discussing and deciding fundamental questions relating to the policy of the organisation
- Submitting proposals to the General Assembly setting out aims and priorities of the association's future activities
- Approval of annual budget and of the closing balance sheet of SOS-Kinderdorf International
- Election and appointment of members of other committees and staff(Executive Committee, Secretary General, honorary members, etc.)
- Admission and exclusion of member associations
The Secretary-General leads the General Secretariat (GSC), which is the executive part of the organisation. The GSC's main responsibilities are:
- Ensure the functioning and lead the development of the global organisation based on the decisions of the legal bodies: strategy and policy development; monitoring and evaluation etc.
- Provide services to and support the development of the member assocations: capacity building; knowledge sharing; information flow etc.