WSI Current Initiatives

As a non-governmental organization (NGO) with consultative status at the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), WomenSport International has been working hard behind the scenes to enhance sporting opportunities for girls and women in sport.

WSI systematically presents at the annual events of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) in New York, and is actively working with a range of international and national organizations to promote the interests of girls and women in sport, including:

  • UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Committee for Physical Education and Sport (CIGEPS), as a member of its Permanent Consultative Council (PCC)
  • The International Working Group on Women in Sport (IWG)
  • The International Association for Physical Education for Girls and Women (IAPESGW)
  • The International Olympic Committee (IOC)
  • The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), and
  • The International Council of Sport Science and Physical Education (ICSSPE)
  • UN Women

Revision of the International Charter of Sport, Physical Education and Physical Activity
WSI between 2014 and 2015 participated in the revision of the Charter which was ratified in November of 2015. In this revision girls and women and matters of gender equality are properly addressed.

Following its work on the revision of the UNESCO International Charter of Physical Education, Physical Activity and Sport, adopted by the General Conference of UNESCO at its 38th session, WSI has committed to work for the Kazan Action Plan, adopted on 15 July 2017 by UNESCO’s Sixth International Conference of Ministers and Senior Officials Responsible for Physical Education and Sport, MINEPS VI. In particular, WSI joins forces with other women and sport organizations in Action 4 for the establishment of a Global Observatory on Women and Sport, and will also offer its support and resources to other Actions.

Kazan Action Plan

WSI in collaboration with UNESCO, IWG, UN Women, and The Commonwealth post MINEPS VI (Kazan, Russia, 2017) is participating in a series of meetings discussing the materialization of Kazan Action 4, namely the Global observatory for women is sport. This work aims to determine the functions and structures that will support the launch and operations of the observatory in sustainable ways. WSI participating as a member of the CIGEPS Permanent Consultative Council of UNESCO. In preparation for the MINEPS VI convention, WSI worked with IWG, IAPESGW, WSF, and ACSM for the Kazan Framework and particularly any element that relates to gender equality matters.

WSI is actively developing Task Forces to investigate current issues. These include the recently completed Task Force on Deaf and Hard of Hearing Girls and Women in Sport. Two Task Forces and an Ad Hoc Committee, led by expert WSI members, have just been launched. The first Task Force is Non-Accidental Violence (building on a previous WSI Task Force on Sexual Harassment) and the second is International Development. The ad hoc Committee focuses on Media Coverage of Women’s Sport.

If you are interested in contributing to any of these initiatives, email WomenSport International, with the relevant subject line (see below), and a brief description of your interest and background in the issue: