Empowering Women and Girls Through Sport: A Call for Inclusion and Equality

On 25 February 2025, the GPP co-organized a high-level side event titled "Empowering Women and Girls in and through Sport," with the Permanent Mission of the State of Qatar to the UN Office in Geneva, Qatar Foundation, Qatar Olympic Committee, and the International Centre for Sport Security. Held on the sidelines of the 58th Session of the Human Rights Council at the Palais des Nations, the event underscored sport’s transformative potential in promoting human rights, social inclusion, and gender equality.

Sport has long been recognized as a universal language that fosters unity, respect, and empowerment. However, despite its potential to drive progress, women and girls continue to face significant barriers to full participation, ranging from unequal opportunities and leadership representation to cultural and systemic challenges. This discussion explored concrete ways to address these disparities and harness the transformative power of sport to empower women and girls, promote resilience, and strengthen communities.

The event featured opening remarks by Her Excellency Dr. Hend Abdulrahman Al-Muftah, Permanent Representative of the State of Qatar to the United Nations Office in Geneva, and a keynote address by Her Excellency Mrs. Maryam Ali Nasser Al-Misnad, Minister of State for International Cooperation. A distinguished panel discussion, moderated by Dr. Annyssa Bellal, Executive Director of the Geneva Peacebuilding Platform, explored challenges and best practices in leveraging sport as a tool for women’s empowerment and community leadership. A highlight of the event was the announcement of a dedicated fund to support initiatives advancing women’s and girls' participation and leadership in sports, marking a significant step toward fostering gender equality in the global sports arena.

This event builds on the discussions initiated during Geneva Peace Week 2024 at the event "Sport for Peace: Harnessing the Role of Sport in Conflict Resolution and Peacebuilding," which was also co-organized with the International Centre for Sport Security and the Permanent Mission of the State of Qatar to the UN in Geneva.

By advocating for inclusive policies and fostering cross-sector collaboration, this event seeked to contribute to a broader movement towards gender equality in and through sport. It called for collective action to advance women’s empowerment and peacebuilding through the values of fair play, mutual respect, and shared responsibility.