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International Planned Parenthood European Network (IPPF EN) seeks Board Members

The International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) is the largest global Federation advancing sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) across the world, with Member Associations in over 14...

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The International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) is the largest global Federation advancing sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) across the world, with Member Associations in over 140 countries.  With a Central Office in London, IPPF works through six regional offices which serve Member Associations in their regions. Together these bodies work as one Unified Secretariat, headed by the IPPF Director General who reports to the IPPF Board of Trustees.  The Board of Trustees is accountable to the General Assembly of all Member Associations.  Both these bodies were established as part of a major IPPF Governance Reform voted by its members in December 2019, replacing the previous system of representative regional governance.

IPPF EN is established as an International Not for Profit Association in Belgium (AISBL); its membership comprises 30 IPPF Member Associations working on SRHR in Europe and Central Asia. Following the change in the global governance of IPPF, these members have agreed changes to its Articles of Association to ensure IPPF EN is aligned with the principles agreed by the IPPF General Assembly of one unified Federation, supported by one unified Secretariat.  The members have therefore approved a change in the Board of Directors from the previous nine member representative Board elected from the membership to a smaller (3 to 5 member) skills based Board, who will be independent from the Membership and tasked with providing the oversight of IPPF EN that is required by Belgian law, as well as assuring that it is following the strategies, policies and procedures of IPPF, per its Articles of Association. 

The IPPF EN annual budget is circa €5 million, and the staff is normally around 25 people. The Regional Office serves Member Associations in Europe and Central Asia, managing annual core grants as well as programme grants, mobilizing resources, providing technical assistance where requested, and supporting MAs and national partners, including social movements, to support each other with technical knowledge and joint activities.  The office is also the liaison for IPPF with the EU Institutions, tasked with advancing policy and funding for SRHR in development/international cooperation and within the EU and the Council of Europe on gender, SRHR and human rights.  IPPF EN also hosts a global IPPF learning centre on narrative and strategic communications.

The Board will comprise the requisite skills to assure the membership and the IPPF Board of Trustees that the organisation is fully compliant with Belgian rules on association, on finance and on human resources.  They will share the values of IPPF. Board members are also sought who can support, in an advisory capacity, some of the key areas of work conducted by IPPF EN.  In the current context, support would be highly valuable in the following areas:

  • Financial expertise relevant to Belgium, and particularly someone with knowledge of managing finances in Belgium as part of a wider global organisation (particularly a UK based one)
  • Legal expertise, particularly in relations to the running of an AISBL in Belgium
  • HR and organizational development. Specific expertise in the Belgian context, but also wider knowledge of matrix management, new forms of collaborative working, the workplace ‘post Covid’
  • Safeguarding and complaint handling
  • SRHR specifically in the evolving context of health in the EU and Europe.  For example, a policy maker/analyst with insight into how the pandemic will affect the EUs/Europe’s domestic health policies; an Ob/Gyn or Medical Practitioner engaged with relevant European networks; a person with a strong understanding of digital approaches to health and telemedicine and how these are evolving in Europe
  • In the context of IPPF EN hosting a global learning centre, an expert on learning approaches generally, or an academic/researcher engaged in work on narratives, strategic communications and/or social movements
  • Someone with knowledge of evolving trends of donors working within the European region.

We are primarily seeking Board members who are Belgian based. English is the working language, French and/or Dutch is an advantage. The term of office of the board is three years, renewable once. There will be at least two meetings a year, normally Autumn and Spring, as well as one General Assembly in June, normally virtual, and there may be some short time commitment between meetings.  We envisage a maximum requirement of circa six days per annum.

The Board will be selected by the Nominating Committee of IPPF EN and presented to the General Assembly of IPPF EN in December for confirmation of appointment.  Interested candidates should submit a CV and letter of motivation to the Nominating Committee, care of Lucy Cady Vernon, [email protected] by the closing date of Sunday, November 15th.   Questions can also be addressed here and interested candidates may request a copy of the draft IPPF EN Articles of Association.

 

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