Please select your home edition
Edition
Mackay Boats 728x90 TOP

Sailing becomes first Olympic sport to commit to UN Women Sport for Generation Equality Declaration

by Victoria Low 8 Mar 2020 10:20 PDT
World Sailing sign the UN Women Sport for Generation Equality Declaration © World Sailing

World Sailing, the world governing body of the sport, has become the first Olympic sport to sign the UN Women Sport for Generation Equality Declaration.

The signing of declaration follows from the World Sailing Trust's publication of their Strategic Review into Women in Sailing. The report explores gender balance and makes a case for change to address disparities within the sport and today, International Women's Day, World Sailing has taken this important step towards greater gender equity in the sport.

World Sailing joins the International Olympic Committee, Professional Squash Federation, Cricket Australia, the Ibero-American Council for Sports and Male Champions for Change in Sport as initial signatories of the Declaration.

The global commitment and overall vision for UN Women Sport for Generation Equality Declaration is rooted in the 1995 Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, which informs the Sustainable Development Goals - in particular Goal 5, "Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls."

By signing the Declaration, World Sailing is committing to substantial, explicit and measurable actions that will support relevant aspects of the Principles.

World Sailing's first action in this regard is adopting a Gender Equality Charter, which will sit at the heart of the organisation.

This Charter will include policies to remove all forms of gender-based discrimination and bias. This approach is in line with the IOC's Agenda 2020, the strategic roadmap for the Olympic Movement.

The scope of the policies under the Charter will encompass: the evolution of the sport of sailing across all disciplines to improve and increase participation, performance and conditions for women athletes, retirement from professional careers for women athletes, development of women's sailing among National Federations, increasing the representation and contribution of women in sailing governance, administration and technical roles.

Kim Andersen, President of World Sailing commented, "World Sailing welcomed the World Sailing Trust's report and its recommendations when it was released. Today is another positive step forward for World Sailing as we continue our commitment to supporting women in sailing, enhancing female participation and achieving gender equity."

Dee Caffari, Chair of the World Sailing Trust, said, "What became very clear, once the World Sailing Trust published the Strategic Review, was that World Sailing had to take a fundamental step forward in terms of championing greater gender diversity.

"By 'leading from the front' and publicly aligning with UN Women, we are starting this process, and very much hope that this is a clear signal to the sport that gender equality needs to be front and centre across all our decision-making."

UN Women's Jennifer Cooper added, "We read with great interest the strategic review carried out by the World Sailing Trust and appreciate its comprehensive and transparent examination of the state of gender equality in the sport. We wholeheartedly support the recommendations to address these issues in sailing.

"We are delighted to welcome World Sailing as our first Olympic sport signatory and very much look forward to working with them to develop the pathways to achieve the Principles of the Declaration."

The UN Women Sport for Generation Equality Declaration is based around six principles that are aligned to the Beijing Platform for Action:

  • Principle 1: Undertake systematic efforts to promote women's leadership and gender equality in governance models
  • Principle 2: Undertake efforts to prevent and respond to violence against women and girls in and through sports
  • Principle 3: Undertake to close the gap in investment in women's sport and promote equal economic opportunities for women and girls
  • Principle 4: Undertake efforts to promote women's equal participation and bias-free representation in sports media, including communications to eliminate harmful gender stereotypes and to promote positive role models
  • Principle 5: Undertake efforts to support equal opportunities for girls in sports, physical activity and physical education
  • Principle 6: Agree to systematically monitor and publicly report on progress on an annual basis

Find out more about UN Women's Generation Equality here.

Related Articles

World Sailing's inaugural Impact Report
Charting a new course for a sustainable future in sport World Sailing, the global governing body for the sport of sailing, today released its first Impact Report, a comprehensive overview of the federation's significant progress in environmental sustainability and social contribution. Posted on 24 Jul
Tristan triumphs to win 2nd eSailing World title
Tristan Péron became eSailing's first double world champion after qualifying for five finals The 2025 eSailing World Championship has concluded with a dramatic final live from Gdynia as part of the Gdynia Sailing Days festival. Posted on 20 Jul
World Sailing Nations Cup to make grand return
After a seven-year hiatus, World Sailing has officially opened the bid process for host cities After a seven-year hiatus, the World Sailing Nations Cup, the ultimate event to crown the world's top match-racing nations, is making its much-anticipated return. Posted on 18 Jul
Nominations open for World Sailing Awards 2025
Presentation to be held at the Royal St. George Yacht Club in Dún Laoghaire on 5th November Many of the sport's biggest names will be in attendance at the World Sailing Awards 2025, held on Wednesday 5 November at a gala ceremony at the Royal St. George Yacht Club in Dún Laoghaire, Ireland. Posted on 16 Jul
World Sailing announces split venues for LA28
The boards will be at Long Beach, with the dinghy events at the Port World Sailing has said it welcomes the confirmation of sailing venues for the Olympic Games LA28 the boards will be at Long Beach, with the dinghy events at the Port. Posted on 30 Jun
World Sailing launches the World Sailing Academy
A new online learning platform for the global sailing community World Sailing officially launched the World Sailing Academy, an innovative new online learning platform designed to provide comprehensive educational resources and training to sailors, coaches, officials, administrators, and the global sailing community. Posted on 17 Jun
Summer Youth Olympic Games equipment confirmed
Dakar 2026 will feature 2 sailing events in the Techno293 World Sailing is pleased to announce the selection of Techno293 as the equipment used in competition at the upcoming Summer Youth Olympic Games Dakar 2026, being held from 31 October to 13 November 2026. Posted on 29 May
Steering the Course kicks off to #AccelerateAction
World Sailing's global women's sailing festival gets under way soon The 2025 edition of Steering the Course, World Sailing's global women's sailing festival, gets under way on 23 May with a week-long focus on #AccelerateAction in support of this year's International Women's Day theme. Posted on 22 May
NYYC hosts 2025 World Sailing Mid-Year Meeting
Board conducted a series of productive strategic meetings The gathering brought the World Sailing Board and Council together in person at the Club's historic 44th Street Clubhouse in Manhattan—an iconic venue designed by Whitney Warren, renowned architect of Grand Central Station. Posted on 19 May
World Sailing Inclusion Championships preview
Event will bring together an expected 215 sailors from around the world, to Oman The Sultanate of Oman has been chosen to host the first edition of the new World Sailing Inclusion Championships. Posted on 14 May
Henri-Lloyd Dynamic RangeRooster 2025RS Sailing 2021 - FOOTER