By Steven Sinding (Commission Chair) and Lynette Lowndes (Commissioner), the Independent Governance Reform Commission
The Need for Change , Le besoin de changement, La necesidad de un cambio, الحاجة إلى التغيير
Introduction
IPPF is a global service provider and a leading advocate of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). IPPF is locally owned and globallyconnected Federation of 134 national Member Associations which has over 29,000 staff and hundreds of thousands of volunteers working with and for communities and individuals across the globe.
The Independent Governance Reform Commission has been tasked with undertaking a review of the organisation’s governance structure, and to provide a proposal for radical and urgent reform on the basis of evidence and input sourced through a series of federation-wide consultations. The Commission works in parallel with the Independent Resource Allocation Commission.
The below paper, outlines the background of IPPF’s governance structure and the drivers for the change, as they are seen by the Commission.
The paper forms part of a larger effort to share thinking and evidence as it emerges. The Commission hopes that the paper will inspire discussion and input for its ongoing work.
Governance history
Created in 1952 to promote and advance women’s rights and access to sexual and reproductive healthcare, IPPF grew from a small number of affiliated national organisations with a minor secretariat in London. It was funded by dues paid by the member affiliates. The early pioneers decided on a governing body comprised entirely of volunteers from the membership. As the membership expanded, the governing body grew in complexity from a single annual members assembly, to a central council. Later, a central executive committee was added, and later still regional governing structures. Today, the Federation is governed by a Governing Council (GC) composed of 18 voting members with 6 non-voting members. The current composition of the board was developed in 2016 and has not changed markedly since.
Resource allocation history
In the 1960s and 70s, as population issues became increasingly important on the global agenda, donors offered IPPF foreign aid in order to expand the organisation’s membership and programming. This was a pivotal moment for IPPF. Many were sceptical about accepting funds, because, in their view, it might transform IPPF from an egalitarian Federation of like-minded autonomous associations into a grant-receiving and grant-making instrument of donors.
The new resources enabled IPPF to become a global leader in sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). But it also posed a new set of challenges. Specifically, the growth required the organisation to develop more sophisticated systems for management, reporting and accountability. This resulted in the Secretariat effectively having two ‘masters’: 1. an affinity group of MAs that wanted the Secretariat to be responsive to their needs, and 2. the donors who expected the Secretariat to open new programmes and to expand its services while complying with increasingly demanding grant conditions.
Financial formulas were developed during the late 1960s about how the increasing financial resources would be allocated to members. The most recent financial resource allocation model was devised in 1997 and has remained largely unchanged ever since. In applying this model, IPPF Regional Offices devised their own mechanisms for how to share funds to national members, including performance-based ones. The economic dynamics of countries, e.g., ‘graduating’ to lower middle and middle income status, was never factored into the resource allocation models.
The need for change
The Governing Council agreed in May 2019 that a more accountable, agile and modernized Federation is critical to its survival. The governing structure that had served the needs of an affinity organisation was coming under increasing stress as fraud and safeguarding cases revealed a lack of clarity between governance and management and an inability to respond quickly and effectively in accordance with requirements of IPPF’s donors and the UK Charity Commission. These issues, having received wide press in the UK, where IPPF is registered, resulted in an existential crisis in 2019 with loss of donor confidence and the potential of IPPF being split, as one region moved to protect itself from the reputational and resource impact.
Many now see this crisis as an opportunity to transform IPPF into a more modern, agile and accountable Federation that is better able to respond to the current challenges in today’s world. These include:
- An emboldened opposition that is better organized and funded than ever and beginning to reverse the hard‐fought gains of the last two decades.
- Trust in institutions is in decline. Recent crises in the sector, including on safeguarding, as highlighted by the #MeToo and #AidToo movements, have eroded public support.
- WISH, a £130 million three‐year contract, will pay in arrears for third‐party verified performance. Only a more business-like IPPF, with tight management and streamlined systems, will be able to deliver on such a demanding and time bound programme.
Why such a short timetable for change?
Donors have given IPPF six months to complete its reform. Moreover, they have also provided resources for IPPF to facilitate the reform process within this timeframe. This is why the GC requested that the Director General set up an independent review of governance and the process through which IPPF allocates core (unrestricted) resources across regions and countries. It was agreed that its proposals be shared with the Governing Council for approval and at an extraordinary General Assembly of all IPPF Member Associations, alongside partners, and donors, to be convened in November 2019.
So the time is very short. However, the Commission is confident we will deliver a proposal on which the membership can vote in November. We are fully aware of the stakes involved if we do not.
July, 2019
Thanks Steve and Lynette, it is really good to have a sense of the history of all of this.
Dear Dr. Sinding,
very well explained and keep it up!
It is a remarkable job. We feel the desire for change towards the best within the IPPF, unfortunately characterized for decades by a penalizing governance structure; even more than the independence of the regions leave a vast field for corruption. Unfortunately, the current process will be influenced with different degrees by the few people (volunteers or employees, especially at the regional level) who are used to do what they want at the regional level and who will try to act behind the curtains through lobbying. They want to resist to the change that will close the door to their decades-long corruption and will seek their best interests.
Moreover, some of those people around whom there are suspicions of corruption are part of the commissions but we hope that they will have no impact on the overall work.
All the best and good luck.
C’est un travail remarquable. On sent la volonté de changement vers le meilleur au sein de l’IPPF, hélas caractérisée depuis des décennies par une structure de gouvernance pénalisante, encore plus que l’indépendance des régions laissent un champ vaste pour la corruption. Malheureusement, le processus actuel sera influencé à des degrés variés par le peu de gens (volontaires ou employés, au niveau des bureaux régionaux surtout) qui ont l’habitude de faire ce qu’il veulent au niveau régional et qui chercheront à essayer de faire face derrière les rideaux à travers du lobbying. Ils veulent résister au changement qui fermera la porte à leur corruption qui perdure depuis des décennies et chercheront coûte que coûte à garder leurs intérêts.
D’ailleurs, certains de ces gens autour de qui il y a des soupçons de corruption font partie des commissions mais nous espérons qu’ils n’auront pas d’impact sur le travail global.
Tous nos encouragements et bonne continuation.
Wow! Well said
Bonjour à tous et à toutes j’espère que ce commentaire vous trouve en bonne santé, je voudrai tout d’abord vous remercier pour les multiples efforts que vous déployez afin que ses réformes soient une réalité.
Pour ma part je vous encourage à faire une analyse approfondie de la situation de notre IPPF pour ressortir les forces et les faibles à l’internes d’une part, les opportunités et les menaces dans l’environnement de l’a fédération d’autre part. ainsi, je suis persuadé que nous pourrons enclencher un processus dynamique qui j’en suis sûre, nous permettra de résoudre l’essentiels des problèmes que nous rencontrons actuellement. Nous devons également mesurer l’incidences des réformes dans la vie présente et futur de notre organisation.
Par ailleurs à mon avis ces réformes doivent aller dans le sens de renforcement de la structure de gouvernance pour rendre les volontaires plus utile pour la fédération et suffisamment impliqués dans la vie de celle-ci.
Cordiale salutation !!!
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