The IWG Secretariat is responsible for the day-to-day running and administrative function of the International Working Group (IWG) on Women and Sport, its programmes, and the quadrennial Global Summit. The secretariat moves to a new host nation every four years, reflecting the global focus of the organisation, and of the IWG network it represents and supports.
Hosting the IWG Secretariat is a four-year commitment and carries significant responsibility, including:
- Development, management and implementation of the quadrennial IWG Strategic Plan, the foundation document for all IWG work internationally.
- Promoting and monitoring the IWG Brighton plus Helsinki 2014 Declaration and adding value to the work of the global Signatories – currently nearly 600 organisations around the world.
- Design and delivery of the IWG Global Summit every four years, the largest gathering of experts on gender equity in sport and physical activity.
- Development and implementation of IWG Programmes, including the Insight Hub, Anita White Fund and the IWG Global Network.
- Relationship management with global governmental/non-governmental agencies and organisations, such as UN Women, UNESCO and WHO.
- Responsibility for management of all IWG external and internal affairs, globally.
- Day-to-day support for the IWG Global Executive
The IWG Secretariat will produce Annual Reports, available online in English, French and Spanish.
Current Secretariat: UK 2022 – 2026
The IWG Secretariat is currently based in London, in the United Kingdom. It is supported by the Sport and Recreation Alliance, UK Sport, Sport England, Sport Scotland and Sport Wales. The academic partner organisation is the University of Hertfordshire.
The UK Secretariat is led by IWG Secretary General Lisa O’Keefe MBE. A former international sportswoman, Lisa is a passionate advocate for women’s sport with over 15 years Senior Leadership experience in the sport and physical activity sector.
Birmingham, UK, will be the host city for the 9th IWG Global Summit, taking place from the 9th to the 11th July 2026.
The IWG Secretariat is overseen by the IWG UK Steering Committee and the IWG Global Executive.
If you would like to get in touch with the IWG Secretariat, all contact details are available via the Contact Us page.
Previous IWG Secretariats
The 2018 – 2022 Secretariat was hosted by New Zealand, who hosted the 8th Global Summit in 2022 in Auckland. The previous secretariats and host countries, along with the focus for their strategies, is available on the IWG website.
- Brighton, UK (Conference 1994; Secretariat 1994-1998) + Windhoek, Namibia (Conference 1998)
- Montreal, Canada (Secretariat 1998 – 2002; Conference 2002)
- Kumamoto, Japan (Secretariat 2002 – 2006; Conference 2006)
- Sydney, Australia (Secretariat 2006 – 2010; Conference 2010)
- Helsinki, Finland (Secretariat 2010 – 2014; Conference 2014)
- Gabarone, Botswana (Secretariat 2014 – 2018; Conference 2018)
- Auckland, New Zealand (Secretariat 2018 – 2022; Conference 2022)
- Current – London & Birmingham, United Kingdom (Secretariat 2022 – 2026; Conference 2026)
English (UK) 
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