In September 2024 the UIAA – International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation – became a signatory of the Brighton Plus Helsinki Declaration, an “international treaty that has become a road map to support the ongoing development of a more fair and equitable system of sport and physical activity, fully inclusive of women and girls”, developed by the International Working Group (IWG) on Women and Sport.
“I am excited and privileged to sign the Brighton plus Helsinki 2014 Declaration on Women and Sport on behalf of the UIAA. It is an honour that I take seriously and solemnly on behalf of our organisation. It is encouraging that increasing numbers of women are active members of our climbing communities. Many women are pushing the boundaries of climbing, and many more participate for the fun and physical challenges. However, it is clear that both at a participation level and at an institutional level, there is unfortunately still significant work to do. I applaud the International Working Group on Women and Sport for its work and this initiative. I look forward to working together towards a mountaineering and climbing culture that enables and values women’s full involvement in every aspect of our wonderful sport.”
– UIAA President Peter Muir (main photo)
“We are very happy to welcome the UIAA as Brighton plus Helsinki Declaration signatories, and they will be an asset to the network. I am sure other Federations will be interested in how their commissions have worked with external advisors to not only create much needed research and plug knowledge gaps, but also ensure the findings are accessible and understandable to all. They have some exciting ambitions for gender equality, and we are looking forward to supporting them and sharing their stories.”
– IWG Secretary General Lisa O’Keefe MBE
In signing the declaration, the UIAA has joined the world’s largest network of individuals and organisations seeking to advance gender equality in sport and physical activity. Acknowledging the many women practising climbing and mountaineering worldwide, the UIAA wishes to encourage safe and pleasant mountain endeavours for all through pertinent information and advice, such as its new medical FAQ section.
Françoise Jaquet, the first woman to preside the Swiss Alpine Club (2013-2021), current member of the UIAA Executive Committee and co-UIAA signatory of the declaration, explained that “global organisations such as the UIAA must lead the way towards gender equality in sport and society in general, and thus fully respect their “globality””.
As a signatory of the Brighton Plus Helsinki Declaration, the UIAA aims to:
- promote women’s participation in climbing and mountaineering
- strengthen communication around equity and equality in society and sport
- highlight its significant resources for women going to altitude
- push for gender equality in ice climbing
- help integrate gender equality policies for UIAA leadership
- benefit from existing network of signatories of the Brighton Declaration
The Declaration follows ten principles. The UIAA has been particularly proactive in principle 7 “Education, Training and Development” and principle 8 “Sport, Information & Research”, with the Medical Commission having focused on the topic of women going to altitude ever since first publications in 2008.
Furthermore, UIAA member federations, such as the British Mountaineering Council (BMC), have been providing extensive information and support for female climbers through platforms such as OutdoorHer. All climbers are encouraged to make use of the information and spread the word about these useful resources.
Recently the UIAA was an active voice on the topic of women at altitude at the World Congress on Mountain & Wilderness Medicine held in Snowbird, Utah (USA). Please refer to the following article. An episode of the UIAA podcast Mountain Voices also addressed the subject of women at altitude. Furthermore in 2022, the UIAA hosted its own mountain medicine workshop for women. Information, and a video recording of the presentations made, can be found here.
Similarly, and in an effort to make newly published scientific information on women going to altitude accessible to the climbing and mountaineering community the UIAA Medical Commission recently adapted and simplified the scientific language and published it in the form of highly informative but easy-to-read Frequently-Asked-Questions (FAQs).
Examples of UIAA’s gender equality work will be shared on IWG’s Insight Hub, which houses a vast collection of research, case studies and toolkits designed to empower and advance gender equality in sport, in due course.
Please also refer to IWG Women & Sport press release with versions in French and in Spanish.
