Against the backdrop of the FIFA Women's World Cup, a coalition of leading athletes and advocates called on policy makers and sporting organisations worldwide to increase investments in girls' sport programmes as a path to improve gender and health equality globally in Ottawa, Canada recently. The Call to Action was launched at the Girl Power in Play Symposium, hosted by global advocacy organisations Women Deliver, Unicef, Right to Play, One Goal and Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN). 

The symposium reflected a growing consensus that, beyond the health benefits, sport programmes provide girls with a supportive network of role models and peers, and can foster better health, education, nutrition, as well as chance to gain critical life-skills.

Participants and partners issued a formal Call to Action asking decision makers from all sectors – government, private, media, research and civil society – to respect, protect and fulfill the rights of girls and women to play sport. In particular, Symposium participants called on stakeholders to incorporate sport programs into global and national strategies to address gender inequality, increase funding for girls' sport programmes & support research on the impact of girls' involvement in sport, particularly on their health and equality.

The symposium is part of a bigger effort to shine the light on the critical role sport programmes can play in improving girls' and women's health and rights – and the positive ripple effect they have on communities.