In global terms, 2005 was not much different from the years before, as it was again not a happy time for the world's children. The trend of many countries sinking further back into poverty continued, with people living shorter lives, fewer children going to school and more children dying than ever before. Wars keep raging on, taking heavy tolls on families and their support systems, and consuming inordinate resources that could otherwise be used to provide children with safe and healthy environments. How many schools could be built or how many midwifes trained and equipped for the amount of money needed to keep one attack helicopter on the ready? The International Child Development's (ICDI) mandate of improving the situation of children and youth is more needed than ever before. The organization is now capable of delivering products of good quality that satisfy all parties involved. They feel they are justified in thinking that they can make a difference. During 2005, ICDI was involved in four longer-term field projects, these were: (1) the "Children in Suriname Programme"; (2) "Non-Negotiables: No to Child Labour; Yes to Education in Andhra Pradesh, India"; (3) "Building Civil Society by Strengthening the Life Skills of Institutionalised Children in Bulgaria"; and "Children and Youth as Builders of Civil Society" in Romania. They are also content with the developments within iCCYS, the International Centre for Child and Youth Studies, the joint initiative of the Institute of Social Studies in The Hague, the Netherlands, and ICDI. They are pleased to report progress with the Kinderrechtenhuis Nederland, or the national Home of the Rights of the Child, that they, together with other key agencies, are trying to establish. This report details each of the projects, initiatives, and developments from the past year and provides a list of the short-term projects and activities that were completed in 2005.