Amy Coen
Amy Coen
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Amy Coen is President and CEO of Population Action International (PAI). Coen has led PAI for 11 years, positioning it as one of the world’s leading research and advocacy organizations working to ensure that women and reproductive health are integral components of global development solutions. She is a recognized international spokesperson on the linkages between population, women’s reproductive health, the environment, and development.

Under Coen’s leadership, PAI has helped secure major victories, including the repeal of the Global Gag Rule by President Obama and the pending return of the United States as a contributor to the UN Population Fund (UNFPA).. Coen helped lead international coalition efforts to address the chronic shortages of contraceptives and other reproductive health supplies in developing countries. She has also led PAI to strengthen U.S. HIV/AIDS prevention programs and secure additional funding by multilateral organizations. Internally, Coen has grown PAI’s programs and expanded its staff, as well as created a positive work environment—in 2007, PAI was named one of 60, “great places to work,” by Washingtonian Magazine.

Throughout a 30 year career focused on women’s issues, Coen has served on non-profit boards and official U.S. delegations. She was one of 14 women profiled in the PBS/BBC program “People’s Century,” where she was chronicled alongside other early leaders of the international women’s movement. Prior to joining PAI, Coen served for 13 years as President and CEO of Planned Parenthood Chicago Area. As part of Planned Parenthood’s national leadership team in the 1980s, Coen spearheaded the creation of new affiliates in the Southern region of the United States. Coen is also a founder and the first director of Women's Network, a non-profit dedicated to finding employment and education opportunities for homeless women.

Blog Entries by Amy Coen

More Than a Conference: Liberation, Leadership, and Liberia

Posted March 12, 2009 | 12:37:24 (EST)

Monrovia, Liberia, March 7, 2009. The "International Colloquium on Women's Empowerment, Leadership Development, International Peace and Security 2009" is about to get started. Presidents Johnson-Sirleaf (Liberia) - The first woman president in Africa! - and Tarja Halonen (Finland) are hosting us. It's International Women's day tomorrow. This is a good...

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In Their Own Beds: HIV and Marriage

Posted December 9, 2008 | 17:32:20 (EST)

This World AIDS Day, Population Action International explored a different side of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, one that many people might not even realize is an issue - the prevalence of HIV in marriage. Our new documentary, The Silent Partner: HIV and Marriage, explores this very issue. It tells the...

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Gender Apartheid

Posted June 25, 2008 | 17:17:38 (EST)

This Los Angeles dinner started in a limo. This is not my usual transport when dining with my Ethiopian colleague Boge Gebre. But tonight I was introducing friends from different worlds. Our Los Angeles hosts generously provided the transportation. The car's black velvet interior with blinking lights on the ceiling...

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The Food We Eat, The Sex We Have - What's A Country To Do?

Posted June 6, 2008 | 17:19:07 (EST)

I've been in Mexico for almost a week. There's a growing behavior change challenge here: persuading Mexicans to change the way they eat and the way they have sex.

Why change the way they eat? Diabetes is on the rise in Mexico. Currently 9% of the population has type...

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Too Many? So Much?

Posted May 27, 2008 | 19:13:48 (EST)

Numbers: Billions, trillions, ga-zillions. When's a number too big, too little, appropriate, effective? I mean, who gets numbers?

It's like gaggles of 3rd graders accelerating every conversation with their own numerical system:
"My dad has a million!"
"My mom saw a ka-zillion in New Jersey!"...

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Mothers -- It's Complicated

Posted May 7, 2008 | 18:02:08 (EST)

There are always complicated issues around mothers. Being one, having one, not having one, wanting one, losing one, not being one.

Personally, we love our mothers even when we don't. Culturally, we revere them. Globally, we say how important mothers are but still a woman dies every minute of...

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Climate Change And Women's Issues Are More Connected Than You Think

Posted April 29, 2008 | 15:13:34 (EST)

Last week's Earth Day celebration reminded me of the first one. As a college kid responding to the passionate calls to action punctuated by pounding music, I came away thinking that if I hadn't already decided to work for women's rights, I would choose to work on environmental causes as...

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