Who we are
Ipas Latin America and the Caribbean (Ipas LAC) is a regional organization that is part of an international nonprofit network working in the Americas, Africa and Asia to ensure that all women and people of childbearing capacity have the freedom and enjoyment of reproductive choice.
We work in Latin America and the Caribbean joining efforts with organizations, institutions and individuals to prevent unwanted pregnancies and ensure access to contraception and safe abortion.
Mission
Ipas creates resilient abortion and contraceptive ecosystems using a comprehensive approach that cuts across sectors, institutions and communities.
Vision
We believe in a world where all people have the right and ability to determine their sexuality and reproductive health.
We operate under 5 core values:
Commitment
Collaboration
Audacity
Reliability
Empathy
Our organizational model is that of shared leadership
We define sustainable abortion ecosystem as: “a dynamic condition in which resilient local stakeholders and systems are accountable and actively engaged in defending abortion rights and being responsive to the abortion needs of all people”.
The sustainable abortion ecosystem is people-centered and has 8 components:
We strongly believe in interdependence, appreciate the capabilities of everyone who works at Ipas and have confidence in each other’s roles.
We love our diversity of backgrounds, knowledge and experience.
We believe that the broad distribution of authority and responsibility throughout the organization maximizes our strengths.
The shared leadership approach is a process, not a destination, that moves toward shared responsibility and authority, which in turn allows for a strategic distribution of resources and mutual accountability.
To achieve this model, our organizational structure is divided into three major areas, which are operationally subdivided into seven areas of operation: three administrative and four programmatic.
Given the advance of the feminist movement in Latin America and the change in women’s needs and demands, Ipas LAC (Latin America and the Caribbean) wants to promote far-reaching changes in the area of reproductive rights.
We work to build and be part of diverse alliances for reproductive justice, so that these alliances become stronger and stronger.
From one territory to another, we want to share the lessons learned to strengthen collective work, under a common objective: to expand people’s capacity to make choices about their reproduction.
We promote the growth and consolidation of the transnational movement for reproductive rights.
Working together, we will network to transform the complex, diverse and specific contexts in which abortion decisions are made.