WSI International Conference
Physical Activity and Health Guidelines for Women: National and International Considerations Related to Ethnicity and Race
St. Louis, USA, June 2, 2002

Group 4 Report - Task: Required Actions by WHO, UN, and other NGO and GO Groups

What are the most pressing needs?

PHASE 1: IDENTIFICATION OF KEY ISSUES

• Funding for grass roots programs in addition to elite programs for girls and women
• Finding funding through both corporate sponsorship and philanthropy
• Inclusion of disabled women in all programming
• Assuring that national regulations exist for equality of opportunity for girls and women
• “Quota discussions”, especially as regards the IOC mandates, monitoring the necessary distinction between “women as staffers” and “women in power”

PHASE 2: In order to be effective and successful in making inroads into UN deliberations, and other government-oriented systems throughout most of the world, the following steps should be taken:

1. Become completely familiar with and understand the operation of the system in which one must deal.
2. Within the system, locate all “natural allies” in advocacy for your own issue – for example “women’s health advocates” are natural allies for advocates for women’s sport and exercise opportunities.
3. Take the time to “make a relationship” with the allies identified. This will mean not only personal contacts but supporting the allies' battles where appropriate and feasible.
4. The WS advocates need to do a better job of preparing to be effective and opportunistic in approach; they must be able to mount a relevant campaign, based on core fundamentals of the sport/exercise issue yet immediate and flexible as the occasion presents itself. For example, when the world news media is focused for whatever reason on an abuse story about women, the WS campaign should be able to present relevant, factually accurate, even research-based information on the implications of abuse concerns in the women’s sport and exercise environment, and do so while the “iron is still hot”.

• Some of the “natural allies” for WS advocates were identified:

  WHO Gender/women’s health offices;
  Adolescent and Child Health Advocates;
  Health Promotion units in governments;
  World Bank Gender Office;
  Amnesty International Division of Women and Health;
  World Medical Association;
  UNICEF Education for All unit and Global Movement for Children;
  relevant units of the UNGASS (United Nations General Assembly Special Session) on Sustainable Development (Health NGOs have proclaimed “health MUST be the center of sustainable development”) Sustainable Development UNGASS has units on “Working Group for Girls”, “Health Committee” and “School Lunch Program”.

• · Who are the most important actors to carry out WS equity mandates?
  National governments, regional oversight groups, and multi-national NGOs.

1. Most conventions and treaties (already signed by the groups above) have applicability in women’s sport and exercise advocacy, for example Beijing Platform for Action, CEDAW, Rights of the Child, Sustainable Development.
2. WS advocates must produce at local, national and global levels REPORT CARDS on implementation of these treaties and conventions AND grants must be obtained in order to carry out the monitoring process on the implementation. Of particular import was the strong suggestion to get the CEDAW review to cover progress on implementation of the equity opportunities for girls and women in sport and exercise.

Lastly, WS advocates must be more proactive and assertive in gaining collaboration and support from larger, older and/or more high status groups.

Back to Top