Sport as a vehicle for gender equity: ENGSO co-organises a session during Peace & Sport Forum

The 2022 edition of the Peace and Sport International Forum took place on 30 November – 1 December 2022. As a content partner of the forum, ENGSO was represented by Jennifer Browning, Equality Within Sport (EWS) Committee member and International Relations Advisor at UK Sport, who moderated the second session of the forum, entitled “Sport as a vehicle for gender equity”.

As a moderator of the discussion, Jennifer Browning, ENGSO Equality Within Sport (EWS) Committee member, explored how sport can help tackle the inequalities, combat prejudices and gender stereotypes, together with speakers Shaima Saleh Al-Husseini, Managing Director, Saudi Sports for All, Vitor Pataco, President, Portuguese Institute for Sports and Youth, and Felicite Rwemarika, IOC Member Founder and Executive Director, Organization of Women in Sports (AKWOS).

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Photo: Peace and Sport

 
 

Enriched by their expertise in the field and drawn from their personal experiences, the panellists provided a series of recommendations and calls for action to promote gender equality and peace through sport:

 
 

Focus on mass participation and overcome the “3As” (Shaima Saleh Al-Husseini): raising Awareness on sport as a way of life, Accessibility and Affordability through the creation of proximity with sport with offers in public spaces.

 
 

Develop and implement impactful public policies and legislation to increase participation of women in sports, reduce pay gap, make leadership roles accessible and counterbalance the lack of media coverage. Using prerequisites on women and girls’ participation or representation to receive public funding for sport organisations can be an effective leverage.

 
 

Include male allies and involve men leaders: “males in leadership roles need to create pathways to open opportunities for women” (Vitor Pataco)

 
 

Create safe spaces, on the pitch and in the mind: “sport is the unifier” (Felicite Rwemarika). Use sport to bring people together through games and competitions. Use these sport events as peace-builders by creating spaces where discussion is safe.

 
 

Empower the younger generations through education. Educating young women and girls about their rights is crucial to bring societies forward, recover from conflicts and overcome the current environmental crisis.

 
 

Avoid making assumptions when it comes to major sport events. Audiences are ready to watch and support women’s sport: it is about marketing and investment.

 
 

Give the option and the opportunity to all: encourage men’s clubs to open women’s teams or include women’s competition in “male-dominated” sports or tournaments.

 
 

Implement training and develop mentoring programs to keep inspiring the youth to make a change.

 
 

About Peace & Sport

 
 

“The Peace and Sport International Forum is a unique platform for exchange and the promotion of good practices. It generates concrete solutions and stimulates new collaborations to intensify the use of sport as a lever for peace.”

 
 

Full program of the 13th edition of the Peace & Sport International Forum.