The BOLD Global Alliance for Women, Girls & Sport

A Billion Reasons to Embrace Inclusive Sport We were inspired by this session at the Geneva Peacebuilding Platform - Geneva Peace Week, organised by the Permanent Mission of the State of Qatar to the UN and Decathlon, with panellists including a spokeperson for UNESCO-BIE and a Swiss paralympian. The panel discussion was a powerful illustration of the common goals shared by United Nations agencies, national governments, the private sector and sports organisations in using the power of sport to promote inclusion and development. The BOLD Global Alliance for Women, Girls & Sport is built on the conviction that collaboration, cooperation and communication between actors at all levels is crucial for the advancement of gender equality in and through sport. We were welcomed by Ana-Luiza Thompson-Flores (UNESCO), then watched an inspiring video about Dumisani Ntombela, a blind football coach in South Africa who created a women's team in the township of Vosloorus, near Johannesburg. Having suffered discrimination himself, Ntombela saw the potential of football as a tool to fight the problems of teenage pregnancy, crime, drug abuse and gender-based violence which he observed in his community. https://lnkd.in/eSvWyPfH H.E. Hend Abdalrahman Al-Muftah, ambassador for Qatar to the United Nations Office, spoke of her country's efforts, within the UN and at home, to promote the equality and inclusion of disabled people and of women and girls, in and through sport. Celine van Till, paralympic medalist and member of parliament of the canton of Geneva, spoke of her journey following a traumatic horseriding accident, to competing as a paralympian equestrian, then sprinter, then as a paracyclist. Sport was an important part of her recovery, both physically and mentally, but not without its own risks in terms of injury and mental pressure. Celine advised all athletes to look after their mental health. Amapola Alama (UNESCO International Bureau of Education) spoke of the valuable skills children can acquire through sport and physical education – skills such as setting goals, performing under pressure, cooperation, self-confidence. All of which, like more traditional school subjects, are more easily acquired in a nurturing environment - an environment where children feel seen, and are comfortable making mistakes and learning from them. Following the panel discussion, Sebastian Mozer of Swiss Inclusive Sport made the important point that embracing inclusive sport is a distinct goal from making sport accessible to all. This was nicely reflected by comments from an active member of a local ski club, who shared with us her experience when a number of disabled skiers joined the club. The inclusion of the disabled skiers resulted in exchanges which were enriching for disabled and non-disabled participants alike.

Last week Tuesday, on the 7th of October, we celebrated something truly special — the launch of The BOLD Global Alliance for Women, Girls & Sport (BOLD) — at the Foundation Campus Biotech in Geneva, Switzerland.   The evening was more than a launch. It sparked a movement — of intersectional solidarity, unity and allyship. A call to action for us all to match our words with action for women’s and girls’ health, rights, and empowerment — leveraging the largely untapped power of sport.   We had the honour of opening the event alongside H.E. Ambassador Kadra Ahmed Hassan, Permanent Representative of Djibouti to the United Nations in Geneva, whose inspiring remarks reminded us that sport is not just about competition — it is about participation, equity, and belonging.   Her words resonated deeply as we mark Beijing+30 and celebrate the landmark Qatari-led 2025 Human Rights Council resolution on empowering women and girls in and through sport — affirming that participation in sport is a human right and a driver of equality, dignity, and inclusion.   We were also privileged to hear from H.E. Ambassador Maira Macdonal Alvarez, Permanent Representative of Bolivia, whose energy, conviction and leadership captured the essence of solidarity across nations.   Our partner and incubator, Mr. Pradeep Kakkattil, Founder and CEO of Health Innovation Exchange - HIEx, echoed BOLD’s shared purpose —   To tackle the multiple socio-cultural, economic, geographical, gender, age, racial, and structural barriers that prevent millions of women from accessing the myriad benefits of physical education, physical activity, and sport (PEPAS).   Kreena Govender, Co-Founder and Strategy Lead, of BOLD, emphasised that sport must never be a privilege for a few, but a right for ALL. A principle that lies at the very heart of BOLD’s mission.   Then came the fun part — a vibrant Zumba celebration led by the phenomenal Rachel Habersaat, who lit up the room and had us all moving boldly together. Her energy — and that of everyone who joined — was a powerful demonstration of the ability of sport to energise, transform, and uplift.   Thank you to all our co-hosts — the Permanent Missions of Bolivia, Djibouti, Estonia, and Fiji, HIEx, and Hillcrest AIDS Centre Trust (HACT), South Africa — along with our partners and participants for making this evening unforgettable.   Together, we’re building a movement that unites sport, health, rights, and empowerment — ensuring that every woman and girl can move freely, lead fully and change the game. Tabita Ntuli Hon Mmapaseka Steve Letsike Paulina Lanco EVELINA CABRERA Akhona Zennith Makalima McPherlain Chungu (MJ) Doc Shakira Choonara Paula Navajas Ergüín, MBA Gabrielle Landry Chappuis Khayran Noor Catherine Watt Christina Doumpioti Katharina Kölbl Veloshnee Govender Caroline Ouaffo   #MoveBoldly #LeadCourageously #ChangeTheGame #BOLD #GenderEquality #SportForDevelopment #BeijingPlus30 #WomenInSport #HumanRights #HIEx #EmpowerHer

Today we are excited to attend the following discussion, which will breathe life into the UNHRC Resolution on Empowering Women and Girls in and through Sport, proposed by Qatari earlier this year (A/HRC/59/L.23/Rev.1). Happening this afternoon at 3pm - register online to participate by Zoom https://lnkd.in/eukSRVKe

We're very excited to be launching tonight, with the generous support of Health Innovation Exchange - HIEx

Absolutely worth tuning into to hear from Payoshni Mitra, prolific human rights, gender and sports justice leader, fearless supporter of Caster Semenya and groundbreaking bold inaugral CEO of the Global Observatory for Gender Equality and Sport, amongst her many accolades.

Incredible panel this morning at Play the Game focused on the hijab ban moderated by the iconic Shireen Ahmed and framed beautifully by the first speaker Khayran Noor

At a time when women’s rights, empowerment and health face unprecedented pushbacks, this is our “if not now, when” moment. A moment to stand in solidarity — across movements, sectors, issues, generations and borders — harnessing the transformative power of sport. We are delighted to invite you to the launch of the The BOLD Global Alliance for Women, Girls & Sport (BOLD), co-hosted with: - H.E. Ambassador Kadra Ahmed Hassan, the Permanent Missions of Djibouti to the UN in Geneva - H.E. Ambassador Maira Macdonal Alvarez, the Permanent Bolivia to the UN in Geneva, - The Permanent Mission of Estonia to the UN in Geneva - The Permanent Mission of Fiji to the UN in Geneva - The Health Innovation Exchange - HIEx Join us for a BOLD evening of intersectional solidarity, activism and allyship: Collective Zumba session led by Rachel Habersaat— celebrating the joy of movement and connection Networking reception — uniting champions and allies from the world of sport, health, development and business to build a BOLD movement for women and girls everywhere When: Tuesday, 7 October 2025 | 18:00 – 20:00 Where: Hall 08, Fondation Campus Biotech | 9 Chemin des Mines | CH-1202 Genève, Switzerland Join a movement to: move boldly, lead courageously and change the game — together. RSVP by 6 October 2025 using the QR code in the invite below or this link (https://lnkd.in/eSYe8Z2j) Spaces are limited, so secure your spot soon. Isata Mahoi Hon Mmapaseka Steve Letsike Ricardo Mackenzie Hugo Alonso Akhona Zennith Makalima Tabita Ntuli Khayran Noor Paulina Lanco Candace Davidson-Moolman McPherlain Chungu (MJ) Vuyiseka Dubula Caroline Ouaffo Catherine Watt Christina Doumpioti Gabrielle Landry Chappuis Shirin Heidari Veloshnee Govender EVELINA CABRERA Katharina Kölbl Doc Shakira Choonara  Armelle CANET

At BOLD we are convinced of the power of physical activity to improve the health and wellbeing of all women and girls. The research by Sport England showed that not only are Black and South-Asian women missing from the images we see online, so are older women, disabled women and pregnant women. Thank you This Girl Can for working to address this imbalance, with joyful images to remind us that matter who she is, *this* girl can 😊