15 Sep 2014

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Youth, Sport and Culture, Ruth Maphorisa says hosting of the International Working Group (IWG) world conference would benefit the country.

Speaking at the first Women in Sport Botswana (WASBO) Pitso on September 13, Maphorisa, who is also IWG co-chairperson, said the benefits of hosting the conference for the country would have positive impact for the host city, region and nations and Africa at large, increased awareness on women and sport issues for Botswana and the region.

Other benefits, she said, would be increased participation and the need for female involvement in sport at all levels, legacy and capacity building for Botswana sport, for women in sport in Africa, especially in the Southern African countries, as well as formulation and implementation of gender sensitive policies for Botswana sport.

The IWG conferences focus global attention on specific goals and action steps aimed at offering men and women equal opportunities in the sport arena.

Maphorisa said also the economic, social and cultural impact of the many hundreds of delegates representing nations from all continents was significant and had resulted in concrete benefits for the previous host countries.

The IWG, she added, was a critical link between representatives of international, regional and national organisations interested in women and sport issues, making the IWG World Conferences important opportunities for interaction and discussion.

The IWG existed over two decades and was established to monitor the response to the Brighton Declaration.It also provides support to those working at national and regional level and aims to establish an international network of activists and advocates working to deliver the aims and principles of the Declaration.

The declaration was meant to complement all sporting activities, local, national and international charters, laws, codes, rules and regulations relating to women or sport.

She further indicated that endorsing the Declaration was an excellent way to affirm the organisation’s commitment to gender equality and also signalled appreciation for the principles set forth by the Declaration.

To date, 419 organisations worldwide have been moved to endorse the Brighton Declaration on Women and Sport. Nonetheless, she noted that endorsing the original Brighton Declaration was no longer possible as the delegates of 6th IWG Conference on Women and Sport endorsed Brighton Plus Helsinki 2014 Declaration on Women and Sport.

Meanwhile, Botswana, through Botswana National Sport Council (BNSC) bid host IWG 2014-2018 and were awarded rights to host the world meeting which would feature the IWG Secretariat from 2014-2018, holding the Chairpersonship for the same period and hosting the 7th IWG World Conference on Women and Sport in 2018.

The world conference is expected to be held from June 14-17, 2018 at the Gaborone International Convention Centre with a target 1200 participants from 150 countries worldwide. Ends