Presentation of the Report “Mapping Global Surrogacy: Care Brokers and the Politics of Supply”

We are delighted to invite you to an closed door expert discussion where Professor Amrita Pande (University of Capetown)  will present her new report „Mapping Global Surrogacy: Care Brokers and the Politics of Supply“ supported by the Global Unit for Feminism and Gender Democracy  and soon to be published by the Heinrich Böll Foundation.

The report offers an insightful perspective on the global surrogacy market by shifting attention from demand to supply dynamics. It shows how the market has evolved through three phases—Northern hubs (e.g. the U.S., parts of Europe), Southern hubs (e.g. India, Thailand, Ukraine, Georgia), and emerging “nubs” in Africa, Latin America, and Eastern Europe.

At the center of this process are care-brokers—agencies, clinic managers, and intermediaries who not only connect intended parents with gestational mothers (surrogates) but also actively shape legal frameworks, manage risks, and sustain global inequalities. The report highlights: the “domino effect” of restrictive laws, which displace rather than end commercial surrogacy and the ways in which surrogacy has become a fragmented, cross-border industry. It further more sheds light on the country specific conditions under which gestational mothers provide reproductive labor; and shows that national legislation can not effectively prevent exploitation, if there are no international frameworks safeguarding fundamental human rights and social justice within this transnationally operating industry.

Following Amrita Pande’s presentation, we will engage with German and European policy makers to reflect on the report’s findings and discuss possibilities for national and international regulation of surrogacy. The session will provide space to consider how policies can balance reproductive choices with protections for the surrogates whose labor sustains this industry.

Your expertise and insights will be crucial for shaping this dialogue.

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» Participation on site
at the the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung Conference Center, Schumannstr. 8, 10117 Berlin

» Online participation in ZOOM
The access information will be sent to you by email 24 hours and then 2 hours prior to the event.

You can use either the Zoom Client software or the app. If you are using either the Chrome or Edge browsers you will be able to participate directly via the access link. For more information on how to use Zoom, click here.
Please make sure that you are using the latest version of Zoom so that you have the necessary settings. You will need a microphone and possibly a camera for events with audience participation.

The Heinrich Böll Foundation is not liable for issues arising from the use of Zoom software. Zoom's current privacy policy can be found here.

Contact:
Amina Nolte (she/her)
Senior programme officer sexual self-determination and reproductive justice, nolte@boell.de