Maria Antonieta Alcalde Castro, Ipas Latin America and the Caribbean

María Antonieta Alcalde is the Executive Director of Ipas Latin America and the Caribbean, based in Mexico City. Ipas works with partners to make abortion and contraceptives safe, legal and accessible. María Antonieta is a Mexican feminist, an activist for women’s and youth rights, and a seasoned leader in sexual and reproductive health and rights with over 20 years of executive leadership experience. Before joining Ipas she led the International Planned Parenthood Federation/Western Hemisphere Region (IPPF/WHR) advocacy efforts for 14 years. She was also the Director of the IPPF Liaison Office to the United Nations.  

María Antonieta has co-founded several organizations, including the Latin American Youth Network for Sexual and Reproductive Rights and the Youth Coalition. Before joining IPPF/WHR she was the General Coordinator of Balance, a Mexican grassroots organization. 

María Antonieta was a member of the High-Level Task Force for International Conference on Population and Development and has served on the Boards of Directors of the Center for Development and Population Activities (CEDPA), the Fundación Mexicana para el Planeamiento de la Familia (Mexfam) and the Youth Coalition for Sexual and Reproductive Rights Steering Committee. She has also served as the North America NGO representative of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) Programme Coordinating Board.