In a fitting conclusion to a workshop to encourage more women to be involved in para-sport, the Asian Paralympic Committee (APC) signed the Brighton plus Helsinki Declaration on Women and Sport.
The Declaration is a global treaty drawn up by the International Working Group (IWG) on Women and Sport that has become a roadmap to support the ongoing development of a more fair and equitable system of sport and physical activity, fully inclusive of women and girls. It has 10 principles which are designed to achieve equity of opportunity for women and girls to participate, compete and build careers in sport and physical activity.
Commenting on the signing, Chair of the APC’s Women in Sport Committee, Ms Nasanbat Oyunbat said; “Whilst the number of women from Asian countries has been steadily increasing over the recent editions of the Paralympic Games, there is still some way to go. The workshop we have held to support NPCs in this aim is one way that we are working on this issue. The signing of this declaration is a further endorsement of the APC’s commitment to encouraging more women and girls to participate in para-sport, both on and off the field of play.”
The declaration was also signed by the NPCs from Afghanistan, Cambodia, Laos, Maldives, Myanmar, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Yemen who were taking part in the workshop. They join 550+ organisations from around the globe who have made the commitment to actively support women and girls in sport and physical activity.
Tarek Souei, APC CEO commented: “We’re delighted that so many of our member NPCs have joined us in signing the declaration. We will now work with the remaining Asian NPCs and encourage them to sign the declaration too as part of our ongoing commitment to encourage more women and girls from across Asia to become involved in our movement.”
Rachel Froggatt, Secretary General of the International Working Group on Women and Sport Secretariat & Conference 2018 – 2022 commented:
“For more than two decades, the Brighton plus Helsinki 2014 Declaration has provided a guiding light for organisations committed to achieving gender equity for girls in and women in sport and physical activity worldwide. The Global Executive of the International Working Group (IWG) on Women & Sport is thrilled to see the Asian Paralympic Committee and the eight other National Paralympic Committees from Asia sign the Declaration in Tokyo this month, yet again reinforcing the power of the Paralympic Movement in driving inclusion. We look forward to meeting more new Signatories over the next few years, as New Zealand continues its hosting the IWG Secretariat, culminating in the staging of the 8thIWG World Conference in May 2022.”