The 2023 Women's World Cup is an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of women in sport, promote the development of women's football and promote gender equality.
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| Not only will the 2023 Women's World Cup be a place for female players to score great goals, it is also expected to achieve the most important goal of promoting gender equality. (Source: UN Women) |
In a press release on July 19, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) and the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) said they will work together during the 2023 Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand from July 20 to August 20 to celebrate the contributions and achievements of women's teams and players, and above all, promote gender equality in football and prevent abuse and discrimination on and off the field.
Closing the gender gap in football
The 2023 Women's World Cup will feature teams from 32 countries competing. The event is expected to attract more than 2 billion viewers, the largest audience ever for a women's sport. It is an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of women in sport and promote the growth of women's football and gender equality.
Across the world, the reality is that female players continue to struggle to get the chance to play professionally, not only with huge pay disparities, limited sponsorship deals and unequal playing conditions. When female players achieve success, they often face negative public reaction or are subjected to verbal abuse online and offline.
To address this dilemma and move towards closing the gender gap in football, FIFA has increased the prize money for the 2023 Women's World Cup to $150 million, three times the amount in 2019, as part of a three-step gender equality plan. At the same time, the "Football Unites the World" campaign will highlight gender equality issues throughout the tournament.
Meanwhile, on the occasion of the 2023 Women's World Cup, UN Women also sent the message "Let's unite for gender equality, so everyone can play sports!"
With this message, UN Women is collaborating with FIFA to spread two calls to action. One, “Unite for Gender Equality”, aims to raise awareness that gender equality is a fundamental human right and is essential for a peaceful and sustainable world. The other, “Unite to End Violence Against Women”, calls for an end to violence against women and girls – the most pervasive human rights violations in the world.
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| Eight captain's armbands approved by FIFA for use at the 2023 Women's World Cup include messages on gender equality and ending violence against women. (Source: FIFA) |
Spread the message of gender equality
Ms. Sima Bahous, Executive Director of UN Women, affirmed that the women competing at the 2023 World Cup are role models for every girl on this planet. Their strength and skills are an inspiration for women.
At the same time, Ms. Sima Bahous stressed, this tournament is a reminder that there are too many women and girls outside the world of sport and that even those who participate often experience discrimination and in some cases even abuse.
“The 2023 Women’s World Cup shows us how much not only women but the world misses out on when we fail to give women and girls the same opportunities to thrive as men and boys. Our partnership with FIFA, including the global campaign ‘Football Unites the World’, demonstrates a firm commitment and ambition to address this issue for the benefit of everyone,” said the UN Women Executive Director.
Notably, two calls to action on gender equality will be promoted through the armbands of the women's team captains, digital LED boards next to the pitch, large flags hung on the pitch, large screens in the stadium and through mass media.
Accordingly, “Solidarity for gender equality” will be the prominent message during the competition day from July 30 to August 3 and “Solidarity to end violence against women” will be the message emphasized in the semi-final match (August 15).
Not only is it a place for female players to score great goals, the 2023 Women's World Cup is also expected to achieve its most important goal of promoting gender equality.
Along with UN Women, five other UN agencies have also confirmed their participation in the “Football Unites the World” campaign, including the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the United Nations Human Rights Commission, the World Food Programme (WFP) and the World Health Organization (WHO).
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