International Gender Champions: Transforming Representation
Pioneering Panel Parity
In 2015, we conceived and co-founded the International Gender Champions (IGC) in our first month of operation, establishing its panel parity pledge with the US Ambassador and the Director General of the UN Office at Geneva (UNOG). Our catalyst: an 11 male Minister panel on “The Future of Women in Technology”, and another on “Solutions to a Global Crisis” featuring five older white male leaders including the UNOG Director General. Where were diverse voices and influence in these critical conversations?
Strategic Impact Groups
We then built beyond pledges and personalized commitments by creating specialized Impact Groups:
Notably the Representation Impact Group co-chaired with the Interparliamentary Union and Swedish Ambassador (creating the Gender Responsive Assemblies Toolkit), and the Trade Impact Group with the Ambassadors of Iceland and Sierra Leone and the International Trade Centre Executive Director (who drove the Buenos Aires Declaration).
Global Growth
From 2015-2019, we transformed IGC from a small initiative into a global force, growing to include heads of every head International Organization, including the UN Secretary General, with hubs in Geneva, New York, Vienna, Nairobi, The Hague, and Paris.
Culture Shift
We helped fundamentally change international discourse norms. In Geneva today, homogeneous panels are professionally unacceptable. This embodies our core belief: diverse voices create better outcomes.
“What inspires us most is seeing how deeply transformative inclusivity can be—changing not just who is heard, but the decisions made, and ultimately, the futures shaped.”
Continuing Leadership
Now celebrating its 10th anniversary with 328 Champions and 481 Alumni, the International Gender Champions thrives as a global change agent. We maintain our leadership through the IGC Global Board and co-chair a new and exciting Digital and Emerging Technologies Impact Group with the International Telecommunication Union ITU Secretary-General and Ambassadors of the UK and Mexico.
