United Nations Women Aotearoa NZ And Women In Sport Aotearoa Announce Advocacy Partnership Through To 2025

United Nations Women Aotearoa NZ and Women in Sport Aotearoa, Ngā Wāhine Hākinakina o Aotearoa (WISPA) are joining together to encourage the sports ecosystem to be a leader in advancing gender equality and empowering women and girls in all their diversity in and through sports.

The two organisations will work together to tackle the various challenges women and girls face in sport and recreation and aim to deliver better outcomes for them and their communities.

“Sport holds the enormous capacity to propel gender equality and women and girls’ empowerment. It mobilises the global community and speaks to youth. It unites across national barriers and cultural differences. It is a powerful tool to convey important messages in a positive and celebratory environment – often to mass audiences.” Says UN Women.

“UN Women Aotearoa New Zealand is committed to working with Women in Sport Aotearoa, over the next 3 years, starting this September, to multiply impact for gender equality and women and girls’ empowerment by accelerating efforts to drive positive change in the sports ecosystem. The alliance, which supports the strategic priorities of United Nations Women Aotearoa NZ’s Sport for Generation Equality Campaign, will create meaningful impact, generating opportunities for learning and scaling best practices”, says President of UN Women Aotearoa New Zealand, Tara Singh.

The five key areas of focus for the UN Women Sport for Generation Equality Campaign are:

1. Promote women’s leadership and gender equality in governance models

2. Prevent and respond to gender-based violence

3. Undertake to close the gap in investment in women’s sport and promote equal economic opportunities for women and girls

4. Promote women’s equal participation and bias free representation in media

5. Provide equal opportunities for girls in sports, physical activity and physical education

The partnership comes in advance of the 8th IWG World Conference on Women & Sport, taking place from 14-17 November, with hundreds of global sports leaders gathering in Auckland and virtually to work together to design and launch real practical solutions.

"We successfully became the international host for the International Working Group on Women & Sport (IWG) Secretariat in 2018. It could not have been possible without the incredible support of sport and active recreation government agency Sport New Zealand; plus the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE); the Ministry for Women; Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development (ATEED); Tourism New Zealand; and the New Zealand Olympic Committee (NZOC)."

"The collective power of these groups demonstrates the essence and purpose of the upcoming IWG Conference - that the collaboration of ideas, solutions, and knowledge can make a global impact for gender equality and equity in sport and physical activity. In the same way, we believe the partnership with UN Women Aotearoa will help us to advocate for and improve the experiences of women and girls participating, leading or working in sport and recreation in Aotearoa," says Chief Executive of Women in Sport Aotearoa and New Zealand IWG Secretary General, Rachel Froggatt.

The conference has confirmed delegations from all over the world, including; Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belgium, Botswana, Cameroon, Canada, Chile, Cook Islands, Fiji, Finland, France, Germany, Ghana, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Isle of Man, Israel, Japan, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Nepal, Netherlands, Norway, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Switzerland, Tonga, Trinidad & Tobago, Tunisia, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Vanuatu, Vietnam, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

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