The leader of world's largest reproductive health network knows about backlash

Just six weeks ago, Maria Antonieta Alcalde stepped up to take on one of the toughest gigs globally: leading the International Planned Parenthood Federation at arguably one of its most challenging times in history. But with three decades of successfully fighting for women's rights across Latin America, she's got the experience and energy to take on the role, as funding cuts, the Trump administration, and a well-funded network globally are pushing to roll back hard-fought rights. Maria was recently in Melbourne for Women Deliver 2026, where she met with Women's Agenda's Angela Priestley to record this conversation live. This is the first of our Backlash Conversations, featuring some of the biggest global leaders fighting for women's rights. Maria shares what the world can learn from Latin America's grassroots playbook, why she rejects the term "backlash" to describe the global rollback of women's rights, and what Australia's $49 million in family-planning aid is actually achieving across the Pacific. Plus, the incredible gains she believes Australian women can help achieve for our sisters across the Pacific. The Backlash Conversations is a Women's Agenda Podcast series, recorded live at the Women Deliver conference in Melbourne. New episodes drop across the next week. The Women's Agenda Podcast is produced by Agenda Media, the publisher of Women's Agenda. Sign up to our lunchtime daily news update here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.