Tasks of the umbrella organisation
SOS Children's Villages 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.
General Assembly
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 Children's Villages 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.
Tasks of the 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
Tasks of the Secretary-General
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.