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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:

Develop action plans with objectives and targets to implement the principles of the Brighton Declaration, and monitor and report upon their implementation.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Encourage the media to positively portray and significantly cover the breadth, depth, quality and benefits of girls' and women's involvement in sport.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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:

Arab Ministers of Youth and Sport
Caribbean Heads of Government
Caribbean Ministers of Sport
Commonwealth Heads of Government
Commonwealth Ministers for Women's Affairs
Conference of the Ministers for Youth and Sport of Countries sharing the use of the French language
Council of Europe Committee for the Development of Sport
European Ministers of Sport
European Sports Conference
Sports Ministers of Southern Africa (Zone 6)
Supreme Council for Sport in Africa

International Multi-Sport Organisations:

Commonwealth Games Federation
International Olympic Committee
International Paralympic Committee

International Physical Education Organisations and Fora:

Congreso Panamericano de Educacion Fisica
Federation Internationale d'Educatin Physique
International Council for Health and Physical Recreation Sport and Dance
International Council of Sport Science and Physical Education
International Society for the History of Physical Education and Sport
The World Forum on Physical Activity and Sport

International Sports Federations:

European Squash Federation
Federation Aeronautique International
International Amateur Athletic Federation
International Archery Federation
International Badminton Federation
International Cyclists Union
International Federation of Netball Associations
International Hockey Federation
International Lifesaving Federation
International Sailing Federation
International Triathlon Union
International Weightlifting Federation
World Squash Association

International and Regional Women and Sport Groups:

Arab Women and Sport Association
Asia Women and Sport
African Women in Sport Association
European Women and Sport Group
International Association for Physical Education and Sport for Girls and Women
WomenSport International

National Organisations:

Africa:

Algeria
Ministry for Youth and Sport
Algerian Association for Women's Sport Development
Botswana
National Sports Council
Egypt
Supreme Council for Youth and Sport
Faculty of PE for Girls, Alexandria University
Sport Society of Egyptian Women
Gambia
National Olympic Committee
Ghana
Ministry of Youth and Sport
National Olympic Committee
Women's Sports association of Ghana
Lesotho
National Olympic Committee
Madagascar
Women and Sport - National Olympic Committee
Mauritius
National Commission on Women and Sport
16 National Sports Federations
Namibia
Ministry of Youth and Sport
Ministry of Land, Resettlement and Rehabilitation
National Olympic Committee
Nigeria
Nigerian Association of Women in Sports
Rep of Guinea
Ministry of Youth and Sport
Seychelles
Seychelles National Olympic Committee
South Africa
Commonwealth Games Association
Women's Sport Foundation
National Department of Sport and Recreation
National Sports Council
Swaziland
Ministry of Home Affairs
National Olympic and Commonwealth Games Association
7 National Sports Federations
Uganda
National Olympic Committee
Uganda Sports Women's Association
Zimbabwe
Sport and Recreation Committee
National Olympic Committee
Women in Sport Foundation Zimbabwe

Asia:

Bahrain
General Organisation for Youth and Sport
Chinese Taipei
National Olympic Committee
Hong Kong
Hong Kong Sports Development Board
Indonesia
Ministry of Youth and Sport
Indonesia Sports Committee
Indonesian Association of Physical Education and Sports for Girls and Women
Israel
Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport
Japan
Association of Physical Education for women
Malaysia
Ministry of Youth and Sport
Women's Sports and Fitness Foundation
Philippines
Philippine Sports Commission
Women's Sport Foundation
Syria
General Sports Federation

Europe:

Albania
Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport
National Olympic Committee
Austria
Department of Sport
Bosnia and Herzegovnia
Sports Association
Bulgaria
National Olympic Committee
Croatia
National Olympic Committee
Cyprus
National Olympic Committee
Czech Rep.
National Olympic Committee
England
English Sports Council
Finland
Ministry of Education
Ministry of Culture
Finnish Sports Federation
National Olympic Committee
Germany
German Sports Confederation
German Union of Sports and Sciences
Greece
Ministry of Culture
Iceland
Icelandic Sports Federation
Ireland
Ministry of Youth and Sport
Lithuania
PE and Sport Department
National Olympic Committee
Lithuanian Women in Sport Association
Lithuanian Sports Congress
Netherlands
Dutch Catholic Sports Confederation
Nth. Ireland
Sports Council for Northern Ireland
Portugal
Departmento do Desporto
Democratic Movement of Portuguese Women
Romania
Ministry of Youth and Sport
Scotland
Scottish Sports Council
Scottish Women in Sport
Commonwealth Games Council for Scotland
Switzerland
National Olympic Committee
Ukraine
Ministry of Physical Education and Sport
United Kingdom
Department for Culture Media and Sport
Womens Sports Foundation
British Olympic Association
UK Sports Council
Leisure Studies Association
25 National Sports Federations

North, Central and South America and the Caribbean:

Bahamas
National Olympic Committee
Barbados
National Olympic Committee
Canada
Department of Heritage
Sport Canada
Canadian Association for the Advancement of Women and Sport
Commonwealth Games Association
Province of Ontario
Province of British Columbia
Province of Alberta
Grenada
Government
Jamaica
National Olympic Committee
Mexico
National Sports Commission
National Olympic Committee
Ministry of Sport
Trinidad & Tobago
National Olympic Committee
Ministry of Youth and Sport
USA
National Association of Girls and Women in Sport
Olympic Woman Project
Women's Sport Foundation
USA Volleyball
USA Sailing

Oceania:

Australia
Australian Sports Commission
Sport and Recreation Ministers Council
Standing Committee on Recreation and Sport
State and Territory Governments
National Olympic Committee
Women's Sports Foundation of Western Australia
Womensport Australia
Cook Islands
Cook Islands Sports and Olympic Association
New Zealand
Hillary Commission
National Olympic Committee
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea Sports Commission

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