EWS committee
ENGSO EWS at the IWG Annual General Meeting 2025 in Dakar, Senegal
From 3–5 December 2025, the International Working Group (IWG) on Women & Sport held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Dakar, Senegal, hosted by CONFEJES, the Conference of Ministers of Youth and Sports of the Francophonie as part of Semaine CONFEJES 2025. The meeting brought together global representatives both in person and online to review progress from 2024–2025, strengthen international cooperation, and advance strategic planning for gender equality in sport.
A global representation to strengthen a coordinated action
As a global network working to promote equal opportunities, leadership and participation for women and girls in sport, the IWG continues to drive policy dialogue, knowledge exchange and collective action worldwide, with ENGSO Equality in Sport (EWS) serving as the European regional representative and represented by Tarja Krum during the AGM.
The AGM brought together members of the IWG Executive from Africa, Asia, Oceania, the Americas and Europe, with additional participants joining online. The meeting reinforced shared ambitions to support women’s participation and leadership, while contributing to sustainable sport development and youth empowerment.
Shared priorities set to advance gender equality in sport
Discussions centred on advancing opportunities for women and girls in sport, strengthening leadership pathways, reinforcing cooperation between organisations globally, and identifying shared priorities for the coming years. The IWG Secretariat presented an overview of recent developments and progress from 2024–2025, followed by updates from regional representatives.
The AGM also included a strategic planning session, with a particular focus on preparations for the 9th IWG Global Summit on Women & Sport, taking place in Birmingham in July 2026. This included planning for the Continental Network Forums, which will take place on day three of the Summit and bring together delegates from each continent to address issues most relevant to their regions. ENGSO EWS will play a key role in designing and coordinating the European Forums.
Activities during Semaine CONFEJES 2025
The AGM took place alongside several activities arranged by CONFEJES during Semaine CONFEJES 2025. These included:
- attendance at the Young Entrepreneurs Fair, showcasing 17 entrepreneurs from eight Francophone countries
- participation in the Conférence Internationale Femme & Sport en Afrique, organised for the first time in Africa by CONFEJES under the patronage of H.E.M. Bassirou Diomaye Diakhar FAYE, President of the Republic of Senegal
- a visit to the Senegalese Badminton Federation (FESBAD) to observe and meet young people training to become technical officials, some of whom hope to support the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games, the first Olympic event ever hosted in Africa
- a Gala Dinner hosted by CONFEJES, which recognised the many partners contributing to sport development across the region
CONFEJES did an excellent job hosting the AGM and providing the opportunity to learn more about their programmes, meet partners on the ground and gain insight into ongoing efforts to support youth and sport across Francophone Africa.
