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Empowering Women and Girls Through the Transformative Power of Sport
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is pleased to announce the renewal of its Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with UN Women, reaffirming their commitment to advancing gender equality and empowering women and girls through the transformative power of sports. The MoU extension was formally signed by IOC President Thomas Bach and UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous during a meeting in New York, USA.
This partnership, which initially began in 2012 and was previously extended in 2017, underscores the shared vision of the IOC and UN Women to utilize sports as a catalyst for positive social change. Together, they aim to shape social norms and drive sustainable development outcomes that positively impact the lives of women and girls worldwide.
During the signing ceremony, IOC President Bach emphasized the profound impact sports can have on transforming lives and reiterated the importance of working towards gender equality. He stated, “With this new MoU, we will enhance our ongoing initiatives to encourage sports participation among girls and advance towards gender equality.”
UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous echoed this sentiment, highlighting the unique role of sports in ending discrimination and violence against women and girls. She expressed her honor in renewing the partnership with the IOC, stating, “There can be no higher goal, and no greater win for us all.”
IOC President Bach highlighted the role of sport in the promotion of #genderequality as he signed a renewed MoU with @UN_Women in New York: "The extension of our partnership will help us ensure all women and girls have the opportunity to benefit from the unique power of sport." pic.twitter.com/dp6CFcUSo7
— IOC MEDIA (@iocmedia) September 19, 2023
Under the renewed MoU, the IOC and UN Women will focus on three main objectives:
- Promoting gender-responsive policies, governance, and investment.
- Promoting safe and equal opportunities for women and girls to engage in sports, physical activity, and physical education, while also preventing gender-based violence.
- Strengthening advocacy, communication, collaborative insight-generation, and knowledge-sharing.
The MoU is accompanied by a two-year General Plan of Activities, outlining specific actions and outcomes to be achieved in the coming years. These activities align with the IOC’s Gender Equality and Inclusion Objectives for 2021-2024 and the Olympism365 strategy, which leverages sports as a means to support the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.
The partnership will also continue to build upon the One Win Leads to Another (OWLA) program, originally launched during the Olympic Games Rio 2016. OWLA employs sports as a tool to prevent violence against girls and women, with successful expansion into Argentina as a legacy of the Youth Olympic Games Buenos Aires 2018. The program is now extending its reach through the joint Gender Equality Through Sport Bridging Project across Latin America, the Caribbean, and Asia Pacific.
