Promotion of child rights:
1.      The movement strives to promote and enforce human rights as described in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and also in the regional organizations.

Direct aid:
2.      The assistance the Foundation offers is considered "direct" in as much as it benefits tangibly and explicitly deprived children.  Such help can be provided by projects administered by the Foundation itself, or by operational partners.

Respect for law:
3.      The programs are conceived and run in compliance with the legislation of the countries involved.

Respect for cultural differences:
4.      The movement's actions respect the dignity, identity and culture specific to the inhabitants of the relative countries. However, it opposes any habits and customs, or systematic dereliction of duty, which are contrary to the physical, psychological or moral integrity of the individual.

Independence and good governance:
5.      In the same way, while respecting the values and traditions of the country, the Foundation is free of all pressure which may give a political, racial, ethnical or confessional orientation to its projects or which may try to make it act against the fundamental principles of good governance (nepotism, corruption, favoritism, etc.). All the Foundation's operational partners are required to do likewise.

Principle of subsidiary:
6.      Terre des hommes actions are mainly run on subsidiary lines.  Its action does not aim at replacing the parents and the community in their duties towards the child in the long run. The direct assistance to the child is thus completed with measures allowing the family and the community to take long-term charge of their children. However, community development only does not assure systematically the well-being of the most vulnerable children.

Community participation:
7.      Terre des hommes encourages the child’s community to become aware of the child’s plight and to take its responsibility so that it can decide itself on its own future.  The movement implicates the children, the youth and the families in the conception and the running of the activities of the projects.

Direct management or through a partner:
8.      The Foundation strives to make its projects autonomous and encourages the institutional development of its operational partners.  At the same time, Terre des hommes maintains its vocation and ability to initiate and administrate projects in its own name when there is no other alternative.

Networks:
9.      The movement contributes to the strengthening of the social network for the benefit of children in countries where it is active. It supports the active cooperation with government agencies and complementary NGOs in order to reinforce the actions’ impact and to maximize the resources.

Mothers solely in charge of children:
10.  Destitute mothers, solely in charge of their children, are particularly vulnerable. They are, with their children, given special attention by the movement.

Working agreements:
11.  The relations of the movement with its partners are founded on written agreements. These are based on strict, verifiable, and mutual requirements as regards quality, on the results to be obtained, on the transparency needed, and the mutual exchange of know-how.

Terre des hommes’ contribution:
12.  Terre des hommes does not wish to provide funds only.  The Foundation strives to provide special advantages and know-how for the projects it supports.

Measure of results:
13.  The movement uses systematic control of measurable indicators to keep an objective eye on the results achieved by its projects.

Sustainable development*:
14.  In general Terre des hommes ensures that its actions as a whole are compatible with the basic principles of long-term development.

Volunteers and salaried workers:
15.  Volunteers and salaried workers are two complementary pillars, indivisible, indispensable, and of equal value for the movement.

Value of volunteers work:
16.  Voluntary work at headquarters, in working groups and in projects, both in Switzerland and overseas, is a tremendous advantage for the movement.

Working groups:
17.  Terre des hommes working groups and local sections in Switzerland are essential elements of the legitimacy among the Swiss population which characterizes the movement.

Funding sources:
18.  Terre des hommes can accept only those donations which come from sources compatible with the mission, values and independence of the movement.[1]

Respect of donor's wishes:
19.  Funds received are used in compliance with the wishes of the donors, for projects and strategic orientations defined by the movement.

Transparency:
20.  When dealing with public authorities, donors, operational partners and the general public in any of the countries where it is active, the movement ensures full transparency, scrupulous honesty and detailed accounting for all fund-raising and the use of such.

Nature of the commitment of Terre des hommes' actors:
21.  There is no contradiction between a professional worker and a militant.  Each person involved in the movement (volunteers and salaried staff) must take both roles in his or her place within the movement.

Utilization of resources:
22.  The movement strives to use in the best possible way all resources available.  As regards funds this means strict economy, trying to find free advantages, discounts, reasonable wages and fees for its suppliers and employees, by keeping in mind the best level of professionalism, and careful investment.[2]  With regard to human resources, salaried or not, this means a policy which brings out and develops the potential of each person to serve best all the movement's causes.

Gender approach, equal opportunity:
23.  The Foundation insists that there must be no sex discrimination within its human resources policy and has adopted a balanced approach in its projects; everybody should have equal opportunities, without sex discrimination.

Terre des hommes and the Swiss public:
Terre des hommes' vocation is to be a movement uniting the whole of the Swiss population, with the same ideal of justice, beyond all regional or linguistic frontiers; a movement of international dimensions, compiling all the positive sides of its partners and collaborators.