The newly formed Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) Gender Equity Commission met in Lausanne yesterday for the first time.
The Commission, which is chaired by HRH Prince Feisal Al Hussein of Jordan, was established at the ANOC General Assembly in November last year. The five other members on the Commission are: Sheikha Hayat Bint Abdulaziz Al-Khalifa (Bahrain), Liz Dawson (New Zealand), Aicha Garad Ali (Djibouti), Sarah Keane (Ireland), and Brian Lewis (Trinidad and Tobago). There were also representatives from the IOC Gender Equality Review Working Group present at the meeting.
The important first meeting enabled the Commission to outline its core objectives for the year ahead. Commission members agreed that a key area of focus will be to support the IOC with the implementation of IOC Gender Equality Review Project recommendations related to National Olympic Committees (NOCs). To address the existing gender equality challenges in sport, the IOC Executive Board launched the IOC Gender Equality Review Project on 16 March 2017. Its mandate is to push gender equality globally with action-oriented recommendations for change.
During the meeting, the Commission discussed the development and implementation of a 12-point action plan. The plan will outline which of the IOC Gender Equality Project recommendations and actions apply specifically to the NOCs. It was agreed that the priority for early 2019 is to distribute an extensive gender equality survey to all NOCs in order to compile and analyse data on governance, leadership, funding and sport. The ANOC Gender Equity Commission, in collaboration with the IOC, will utilise the data to guide implementation priorities and share best practices.
Reflecting on the first meeting, ANOC Gender Equity Commission Chair HRH Prince Feisal Al Hussein said:
“Today’s meeting was very productive and we now have a clear vision of what we want to achieve as a Commission. Our immediate focus is to establish how we can support the IOC with the implementation of the IOC Gender Equality Project recommendations for NOCs. It was important that the IOC joined the meeting today, as the push for gender equality is something that requires a collaborative effort from all Olympic Movement stakeholders. We are looking forward to working closely with the IOC and all 206 NOCs in the months and years ahead to help redress the gender balance in sport.”