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Report on the 2nd World Conference on Women and Sport

Namibia, 19-22 May 1998

The Second World Conference hosted by the Ministry of Youth and Sport of the Republic of Namibia was attended by 400 delegates from 74 countries.

The UK had 12 delegates, of which three represented the Womens Sports Foundation. These were Tina Dyer-Slade (Chair), Yvonne Barker (Director) and Catherine Hughes (National Development Officer).

The Windhoek Call for Action

The Conference focused on the successes which have been achieved during the last four years following the first World Conference and the endorsement of the Brighton Declaration. Following the Conference delegates endorsed the 'Windhoek Call for Action' which aims to build on the Brighton Declaration, bringing about more positive action to address inequalities and enhance women's development through sport and physical activity.

The Call for Action is addressed to all men and women in those national and international sport organisations, governments, public authorities, development agencies, schools, businesses, educational research institutions, women's organisations, who are responsible for, or who directly influence the conduct, development or promotion of sport, or who are in any way involved in the employment, education, management, training, development or care of girls and women in sport.

In addition to re-affirming the principles of the Brighton Declaration, the Conference delegates called for action in the following areas:

  1. Develop action plans with objectives and targets to implement the principles of the Brighton Declaration, and monitor and report upon their implementation.
  2. Reach out beyond the current boundaries of the sport sector to the global women's equality movement and develop closer partnerships between sport and women's organisations on the one side, and representatives from sectors such as education, youth, health, human rights and employment on the other. Develop strategies that help other sectors obtain their objectives through the medium of sport and at the same time further sport objectives.
  3. Promote and share information about the positive contribution that girls' and women's involvement in sport makes, inter alia, to social, health and economic issues.
  4. Build the capacity of women as leaders and decision-makers and ensure that women play meaningful and visible roles in sport at all levels. Create mechanisms that ensure that young women have a voice in the development of policies and programmes that affect them.
  5. Avert the 'world crisis in physical education' by establishing and strengthening quality physical education programmes as key means for the positive introduction to young girls of the skills and other benefits they can acquire through sport. Further, create policies and mechanisms that ensure progression from school to community-based activity.
  6. Encourage the media to positively portray and significantly cover the breadth, depth, quality and benefits of girls' and women's involvement in sport.
  7. Ensure a safe and supportive environment for girls and women participating in sport at all levels by taking steps to eliminate all forms of harassment and abuse, violence and exploitation, and gender testing.
  8. Ensure that policies and programmes provide opportunities for all girls and women in full recognition of the differences and diversity among them - including such factors as race, ability, age, religion, sexual orientation, ethnicity, language, culture or their status as an indigenous person.
  9. Recognise the importance of governments to sport development and urge them to conduct gender impact analyses and to develop appropriate legislation, public policy and funding that ensures gender equality in all aspects of sport.
  10. Ensure that Official Development Assistance programmes provide equal opportunities for girls' and women's development and recognize the potential of sport to achieve development objectives.
  11. Encourage more women to become researchers in sport, and more research to be undertaken on critical issues relating to women in sport.

Windhoek, Namibia
22 May 1998

Adoption of the Brighton Declaration

The list below consists of over 200 organisation that have notified the International Working Group on Women and Sport that they have adopted or endorsed the Brighton Declaration:

International and Regional Government Organisations:

International Multi-Sport Organisations:

International Physical Education Organisations and Fora:

International Sports Federations:

International and Regional Women and Sport Groups:

National Organisations:

Africa:

Asia:

Europe:

North, Central and South America and the Caribbean:

Oceania:

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