A shared commitment to advancing gender equality

Opening the event, Tiina Kivisaari, Director of Sport at the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture, emphasised that progress towards gender equality requires both long-term commitment and strong cooperation across the sport sector. She highlighted that signing the Brighton + Helsinki Declaration is an important demonstration of an organisation’s commitment to promoting the position of girls and women in sport and physical activity.

As part of the signing ceremony, the work of the signatory organisations was presented, highlighting a wide range of initiatives promoting gender equality, inclusion and safer sport. The examples demonstrated how organisations contribute to change through research, education, leadership development, coaching programmes, safeguarding initiatives and structural reforms.

Having coordinated the national signing initiative from its early stages in Finland, Tarja Krum, Chair of EWS, described the opportunity to engage with the participating organisations as one of the most rewarding aspects of the process.

“Each organisation brought valuable expertise, experience and perspectives on advancing gender equality in sport. While their approaches may differ, they share a common commitment to creating better opportunities for girls and women in sport.

Seeing 27 organisations sign the Brighton + Helsinki Declaration together highlighted how much knowledge, experience and commitment already exists across the Finnish sport sector. It also demonstrated the potential for learning from one another and building stronger cooperation around shared goals.”

Connecting local action with a global movement

The event was honoured by the presence of Annamarie Phelps, Chair of the International Working Group on Women and Sport (IWG), whose participation connected the Finnish initiative to the wider international movement for gender equality in sport.

In her address, Phelps emphasised that lasting progress requires structural change rather than expecting women and girls to adapt to systems that have historically excluded them.

“Every girl and woman has the right to succeed in sport and physical activity. Women should not have to adapt to outdated and exclusionary sport systems. Instead, systems must change and barriers must be removed if progress is to be sustainable.”

Phelps welcomed the collective commitment shown by the Finnish signatories and noted that bringing together such a broad coalition of organisations sends a powerful message about the importance of gender equality across the entire sport ecosystem.

Her presence also served as a reminder that the work taking place in Finland forms part of a much larger global movement. Helsinki itself has a special place in the history of women and sport as one of only nine cities worldwide to have hosted an IWG summit on Women and Sport.

The event also highlighted the long history of gender equality work within the European sport movement. Among the signatories was Birgitta Kervinen, Honorary President of ENGSO and a longstanding advocate for gender equality in sport. She represented Suomen Urheilujohtajasenioritry (Finnish Senior Sport Leaders Association), one of the organisations signing the Brighton + Helsinki Declaration.

The event was attended by several distinguished guests, including former President of Finland Tarja Halonen.

The journey continues

The ceremony concluded with remarks from Riku Tapio, CEO of the Finnish Olympic Committee, who emphasised that the signing of the declaration is not an end point but the beginning of continued work.

He reminded participants that the real significance of the declaration will not be measured by signatures alone, but by the everyday decisions, actions and encounters that shape sport environments in the years ahead.

The event demonstrated that gender equality in sport cannot be achieved by a single organisation acting alone. Instead, meaningful and sustainable progress requires cooperation between organisations, sectors and individuals working towards a common vision.

For ENGSO, the Finnish signing ceremony offers an encouraging example of how the principles of the Brighton + Helsinki Declaration can be translated into practical commitments and collective action. It also demonstrates the important role that cooperation, shared learning and long-term commitment play in creating a more equal sport culture for girls and women across Europe.

As the 27 signatory organisations begin implementing their commitments, the ceremony marks not the end of a process, but the beginning of a shared journey towards greater gender equality in sport.