Sport Ireland signs international treaty promoting women’s empowerment and gender equality
Sport Ireland has signed the International Working Group on Women and Sport’s Brighton plus Helsinki declaration, which signifies our commitment to equity for women and girls in sport and physical activity.
The signing took place during Women in Sport Week, which runs from Monday, March 3 to Sunday, March 9, and this year celebrates its fifth anniversary.
Sport Ireland CEO Dr Úna May said: “At Sport Ireland we’re committed to supporting women and girls' participation in sport. There’s no more fitting time to sign the declaration than during Women in Sport Week, which highlights our focus on encouraging the participation of women and girls.”
The Brighton plus Helsinki declaration is an international treaty developed by the International Working Group (IWG) on Women and Sport. It has become a road map to support the development of a more fair and equitable system of sport and physical activity, fully inclusive of women and girls.
IWG secretary general Lisa O’Keefe MBE said: “We are looking forward to working with Sport Ireland to further highlight their push towards gender equality. We are keen to share their excellent approach and learnings with the IWG network over the coming months as we build towards the IWG Global Summit in July 2026.”
More than 600 organisations around the globe have already signed the declaration, including the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media.
John Foley, Chairperson of Sport Ireland, said: “I’m really happy to be here today for the signing of the Brighton plus Helsinki declaration. It’s an important reaffirmation of our focus on encouraging the participation of women and girls in sport. We’re all about supporting women and girls’ participation in every way possible, and we're proud to take our place among the signatories of the declaration.
Nora Stapleton, Director of Strategic National Governing Body Programmes and Women in Sport Lead with Sport Ireland, said: “I’m delighted that Sport Ireland has signed the Brighton plus Helsinki declaration. It’s especially apt that it took place during Women in Sport Week.
“Women in Sport Week provides an opportunity for ourselves, the Local Sports Partnerships, National Governing Bodies and other organisations to highlight women and girls in sport, from coaches to officials, volunteers and participants.”
Women in Sport Week 2025
Women in Sport Week celebrates women’s contributions to sport, highlights related initiatives by Sport Ireland and our partners, and showcases initiatives funded by the Women in Sport Programme, all to advance our vision of equal opportunity and lifelong involvement in sports for women and girls.
Each day is organised along a different theme and a number of events have already taken place to mark the week – and there are more to come.
Friday March 7th - Leadership & Governance
Accelerate Action event on the Sport Ireland Campus. Attended by 100 leaders from the sport sector, this will feature keynote speakers, Q&A, and a networking lunch. Sport Ireland will sign the Brighton plus Helsinki declaration at this event.
Saturday March 8th - International Women’s Day
Sport Ireland and parkrun Ireland are marking International Women’s Day during Women in Sport Week by encouraging women and girls to head to their local parkrun on Saturday March 8th to walk, jog, run or volunteer. Read more about that here.
Sunday March 9th - Active Participation
This is a day for women to mark Women in Sport Week by getting active in whatever way they want. For ideas about ways to be active in your area check out Get Ireland Active, Ireland’s most comprehensive activity, sport and recreation website.
About Her Moves
Her Moves is a Sport Ireland initiative designed to inspire and support more teenage girls to be active. It's about empowering all young women, building confidence and providing motivation to find something that gets you moving. This is a community for all teenage girls to join and find something that moves them.