Gill Greer

International Planned Parenthood Federation

Dr Gill Greer comes from a teaching, management and advocacy background in education at school and university levels, and in health, development and rights, which she believes to be the cornerstones of individual and community development. In 1998 she was appointed Executive Director of the New Zealand Family Planning Association, an IPPF Member Association with an international unit, FPAID, which works in advocacy and programmes in the Pacific and South East Asia. In September 2006, Dr Greer assumed the appointment of Director-General IPPF. Since joining IPPF she has contributed to many conferences, worked with parliamentarians and a number of IPPF’s 148 Member Associations as part of its role as a leading champion of sexual and reproductive health and rights, and implementing a Strategic Framework based on the Five A’s of Access, HIV/AIDS, Abortion, Adolescents and Advocacy. This year she is the Chair of the International Steering Group of the Global partners in Action NGO Forum, the International Co-Chair of the Asia Pacific Conference of Reproductive and Sexual Health and Rights, and has recently been selected as a Member of the International Health Partnerships Plus Civil Society Consultation Group.

Dr Greer was previously Chair of the New Zealand NGO Ministry of Health Forum (a network of more than 100 NGOs), Chair of the Asia Pacific Alliance for the advancement of ICPD (a network of over 30 NGOs from 7 countries working in development, sexual and reproductive health, the environment, women’s rights and HIV and AIDS, and donors), and a member of the International Development Advisory Committee for the New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade. She has been a member of the New Zealand delegation to a number of UN meetings. Dr Greer, who has a PhD in Women’s Literature, was an Honorary Research Fellow in Women’s Studies of Victoria University, Wellington, where she was Assistant Vice Chancellor responsible for human resources, equal employment and student equity. In addition to published research related to university student success and retention, she has written 3 books and numerous papers related to New Zealand women writers, and worked as a freelance broadcaster and TV panellist. In 2005 she was awarded the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to family planning and in 2002 was a joint recipient of the New Horizons for Women Award

Sex, Rights, and Politics–From Cairo to Berlin

Sex happens: 125 million times each and every day. So how is it that in the 21st century this precious element of human existence is still taboo? Strengthening sexual and reproductive health and rights must become a global priority. Our future depends on it.