Regulations

IPPF’s Regulations set out the organization’s internal governance structure and the powers and responsibilities of its governing bodies. The Regulations adopted by the Governing Council on May 15-16 include several key changes to institute the set of reforms agreed by the General Assembly, as follows:

General Assembly

The Regulations define IPPF as a Federation of Member Associations, and establish a General Assembly (GA) of these members as the highest governing body of IPPF. The GA shall: 

  • Meet once every three years.
  • Comprise representatives from all MAs (though only full members vote), the Board of Trustees (BoT), and the Nominations and Governance Committee.
  • Review and approve the overall strategic direction of the Federation.
  • Appoint Nominations and Governance Committee members.
  • Confirm BoT members.
  • Have the power to remove Trustees by two-thirds majority.
  • Approve amendments to the Regulations.
  • Confirm amendments to the Procedural Byelaws.

Nominations and Governance Committee

The Regulations establish a Nominations and Governance Committee (NGC) that shall:

  • Comprise 7 members with a majority of its membership coming from the MAs, with at least 50% women and 20% youth.
  • Have a term up to three years, with a maximum of two terms per member.
  • Be accountable to the General Assembly.
  • Recruit members of BoT and Board sub-committees.
  • Evaluate the performance of BoT and sub-committees.

Board of Trustees

The Regulations create a Board of Trustees (BOT) to govern IPPF according to the strategic direction set by the General Assembly. The BoT shall:

  • Comprise 15 members (9 from MAs and 6 non-MA), at least 50% women and at least 20% youth under 25 years of age who meet specific profiles on expertise, skills and experience.
  • Have a term up to three years, with a maximum of two terms per Trustee.
  • Elect its Chair for a three-year term and the Chairs of the Board’s Committees.
  • Have the power to appoint, support, oversee, evaluate the performance of, and dismiss the Director-General.
  • Establish policies and amend Procedural Byelaws subject to the GA confirmation.

In addition, the Regulations:

  • Establish that the BoT can meet virtually and face-to-face.
  • Harmonize the role of the Independent Complaints Panel with that of the Board of Trustees in terms of suspension and expulsion of a Trustee.

Membership of the Federation

Key changes with regard to membership include:

  • Introduction of the possibility for an MA to resign from IPPF membership.
  • Introduction of the possibility for IPPF to consider loss of membership following the MA’s winding up.
  • Introduction of non-transferability of IPPF membership to another organization.