Organisation

The foundation for IDH was laid in the Schokland Agreements in 2007. Businesses, trade unions, NGOs, and the Ministries of Development Cooperation, Economic Affairs and Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality acknowledged the necessity of joining forces in stimulating sustainable trade. 

Financing is mainly through the Ministry of Development Cooperation but IDH is supported by all ministries. In 2008 IDH started programmes in tropical timber, soy, natural stone, tourisme, tea and cocoa. Now there are also programmes on aquaculture, cotton and electronica and plans for more sectors.

IDH Office
To facilitate and support the development programmes and to initiate (inter)sectoral learning (ISL) IDH established an office. Joost Oorthuizen is director of IDH and Ted van der Put is program director. The rest of the team is formed by Jan Gilhuis, Bas van den Brink, Esther Bosgra, Margriet Glazenborg, Amanda Stone, Esther Luiten, Yvonne Hofman and Jordy van Honk (programme managers), Coert Meijer (office manager), Marieke Abcouwer (admin en programma assistent), Jolande Valkenburg and Daan de Wit, (communication managers), Barrett Brown and Lucian Peppelenbos (learning and development programme managers), Barbara Visser (financial controller) and Jenny Kwan (market analyst).

IDH Council

The council of IDH guards the policy and the functioning of the IDH office and guards the principles of IDH and decides on accepring new improvement programmes and consolidates annual plans and reports.

Members of the IDH Council:

The council comes together three times a year.