Global Observatory Events
The Global Observatory facilitates networking and knowledge exchanges by hosting a variety of events and opportunities for participation that bring together members of communities and networks across sport, policy, human rights, academia, UN, and civil society. From time to time we will host events and share partner events. Make sure you visit this page again to check what’s on for the GO so you don’t miss out!
Upcoming Events
Gender Equality & Sport+ Conference 2024
From Research to Action!
8th October 2024, 9:00-17:30, Olympic Museum, Lausanne
The theme for the conference is: From Research to Action. The conference will explore a range of topics and contemporary issues focused on gender and sport and will have a focus on how to measure, track and monitor progress on gender equality in PEPAS.
Gender Equality & Sport+ Conference 2024 seeks to facilitate exploration of developments in data and research, explore emerging challenges and innovations in gender equality work, and highlight opportunities for collaboration to sustain collective efforts towards more inclusive Physical Education, Physical Activity, and Sport (PEPAS) policy and practice around the world.
The aims of the Gender Equality & Sport+ Conference 2024 are:
- sharing knowledge and drawing attention to areas and topics for further enquiry,
- facilitating engagement among stakeholders, and
- connecting the sector to resources that enable their capacity to address gender inequalities
Gender Equality & Sport+ Conference 2024 will have a focus on knowledge and data, measuring, tracking, monitoring methods and practices in gender equality and sport, and will explore how evidence, data and knowledge is produced, can be improved and used to enhance the capacity of the sector to continue to overcome gender inequalities. It will also draw attention to gaps in knowledge and challenges confronting the field in research, practitioner and policy maker settings. Topics that will be explored include but are not limited to:
- Leadership development; coaching; governance; the Olympic movement
- Harnessing technology, data and AI to advance gender equality in sport
- Gender Based Violence and Violence Against Women and Girls
- The role of advocacy, lobbying and alliance building
- Participation in community, school and professional settings
- Health, wellbeing and PEPAS across the life stages
- Using policy to advance participation
- Mega-sporting events, media and sponsorship
The conference will include various sessions including keynote addresses, interviews, Q and A, panels, plenary, visual presentations, and networking sessions. Speakers include members from the Global Observatory network members, partners, researchers, and wider sport and non-sport sectors. They will discuss their areas of expertise along with a focus on the use of data and measurement within their specific field, along with implications.
Do you want to join our global network, collaborate with us or contribute data, publications, and expertise?
Past Events
Global Tribute to Women & Girls in Sports: “Overpower. Overtake. Overcome” Exhibition Wraps Up in Johannesburg
Johannesburg, South Africa – On 9th July, Southern African activists, advocates, academics, and government leaders from the world of sport, education, health, the private sector, social justice, and women’s rights convened to launch the groundbreaking “Overpower. Overtake. Overcome: A Visual Tribute to Women & Sport” exhibition at Emperors Palace in Johannesburg.
Organized by the Global Observatory for Gender Equality and Sport in partnership with the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC), Sports for Social Change Network Africa (SSCN Africa), UN Women, UNESCO, OHCHR, the MTV Staying Alive Foundation, and Bobbi Brown, the exhibition featured powerful photographs selected from over 130 submissions worldwide.
These images, created by amateur and professional photographers, sports enthusiasts, and women’s rights activists, “showcased a stunning collection of images that captures the essence of our interconnected world through women and girls in sport,” CEO of SSCN Africa, Allan Williams, explained. “It celebrated the power of women and girls telling their compelling stories through images.”
The exhibition showcased the resilience, strength, and determination of women and girls in the world of sport.
The exhibition’s launch was strategically timed to coincide with Nelson Mandela Month and the lead-up to the Paris 2024 Olympics, the first Olympics to achieve gender parity. The event featured a keynote address from Deputy Minister Mmapaseka Steve Letsike of the Department of Women, Youth, and Persons with Disabilities who highlighted that her department welcomed this positive development and added that “this is a steppingstone we must continue with to ensure that gender parity is reached everywhere.” She highlighted that “gender parity remains an ideal for which we all have the responsibility to champion. Humanity will never advance in any sphere as so far as women are continued to be restricted to the margins of society.” Deputy Minister Letsike was joined by prominent women’s rights advocates, health advocates, athletes, and sports personalities. Panelists, including the indomitable Desiree Ellis, Coach of the South African National Women’s Football Team, emphasized the critical yet often untapped potential of physical education, physical activity, and sport (PEPAS) in advancing women’s health, rights, and empowerment.
The event included two significant panel discussions exploring the intersection of gender, race, media, and sports. The first panel, “Shifting the Lens: Media Representation and the Portrayal of Women and Girls in Sports,” highlighted the persistent underrepresentation of women’s sports in the media. Esteemed panelists, including Lwandile Simelane, the first vice-president of SASCOC, Desiree Ellis and freelance journalist Karien Jonckheere, discussed the media’s role in shaping public perceptions and the necessity for equitable coverage to advance gender equality.
The second panel, “Safe Spaces in Sports: PEPAS and the Fight Against Gender-Based Violence,” addressed the pressing issue of gender-based violence (GBV) in sports. Experts like Professor Cora Burnett and Dr. Jon Hunter-Parsonage from the School of Hard Knocks underscored the need for comprehensive strategies to combat GBV and create safe, inclusive environments for women and girls in sports. Dr. Hunter-Parsonage stated that “the discussions by the panel, and the audience contribution, were an important indication that sport, which should be a safe space, and a means for societal change, is still battling to ensure the protections that women and girls should be entitled to. But by supporting the dedicated and fearless voices that were heard from the audience, this can change, and can change quickly.”
The panel discussions highlighted sports’ potential to challenge societal norms and promote gender equality.
“Competitive sport is not necessarily a safe space for girls and women. There is ample evidence that coaches and others in positions of power engaged in harmful practices by physically and/or psychologically abuse athletes in their care,” adds Professor Burnett.
The exhibition’s impact extended beyond Johannesburg, with plans for displays in Geneva and Dakar later in the year. The top 20 winning photos are available in a virtual exhibition accessible globally, allowing people worldwide to engage with the powerful narratives and foster a global dialogue on gender equality in sports.
As the Paris 2024 Olympics begin, the “Overpower. Overtake. Overcome” exhibition serves as a potent reminder of the strides made and the work still needed to achieve true gender equality in sports. The powerful visuals and compelling discussions from the exhibition have inspired a renewed commitment to empowering women and girls through sport, advocating for their rights, and amplifying their voices.
Kreena Govender, Head of Institutional Policy & Partnerships at the Global Observatory for Gender Equality and Sport concluded that “the ‘Overpower, Overtake, Overcome’ photo competition and exhibition stands as a powerful testament to activism, solidarity, and shared goals.
These evocative images, illustrating the struggles and victories of women and girls across various spheres, including sports, serve as a vivid reminder of the need to turn words into tangible action. “
The Johannesburg exhibition provided a springboard to amplify the call and spark off a global movement dedicated to overcoming obstacles and celebrating the triumphs of women in sports. Initiatives like this bring the vision of a more equitable and empowering world for women and girls in sports closer to reality.
Annual Event 2023:
The meeting focused on confirming the data strategy of the Global Observatory to advance measurement of progress on gender equality and sport. It was held in close collaboration with UNESCO on 23 -24 November 2023 in Paris.
Annual Event 2022:
Open Fields, Open Questions: Inclusive Gender Equality meeting and conference held on 30 January – February 2023 in Lausanne (postponed from November 2022). Read the Recommendations for Research and Action drawn from the conference and closed meetings.