Merete Gerlach-Nielsen (1933–2019) was a Danish-born French-language academic, UNESCO's coordinating director for women's affairs (1988–1990), and one of the founders of Kvinfo, the Danish Centre for Research on Women and Gender.
As a child, Gerlach-Nielsen was influenced by her godmother Margrethe Spies who introduced her to the theatre and to literature and shared her concern for gender equality and women's affairs.
[1] Gerlach-Nielsen attended Copenhagen's French School and matriculated from Christianshavns Gymnasium in 1951.
[1][2] In parallel, she increased her interest in the Alliance Française, becoming secretary in 1957 and chair in 1978 for a successful two-year period.
While at university, she headed the French student association Le Coq, for which she was rewarded with the Alliance's bronze medal in 1983.