【Summary】

“ASEAN-Japan Actions on Sports: Gender Equality” is a project to promote gender equality through sports where Japan will collaborate with 10 of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries. Centered on training and research, the goal is to create a society where women and girls in ASEAN countries can safely and securely access sports and enjoy all the benefits that sports can provide.
In this year, the project worked on workshop for policy makers in ASEAN countries, research projects on the issues and needs behind women and girls participation in sports, Information Sharing Project.

【Project Objective】

As a mid- to long-term goal over a four-year period, this initiative aims to create a state in which the governments of ASEAN countries can implement various projects to achieve gender equality in their own sports fields.
This year (year 1), the following three goals were set as the project goals for this year: a) to understand the structure of gender issues and reflect gender perspectives in policy; b) to identify factors that encourage girls and women to participate in sports in three of the 10 countries (Indonesia, the Philippines and Viet Nam); and c) to develop a foundation, including a secretariat structure and strengthening cooperation with relevant organisations, with a view to a project plan until 2026.

【Activities/projects】

① Training Project -Workshop for policy makers in ASEAN countries-

〇 Host country: Hanoi, Viet Nam

〇 Date: Wednesday, January 10th – Thursday, January 11th, 2024

〇 Theme: Incorporating a gender perspective into sports policy

〇 Participants: A total of 34 participants attended, including one government official and one NOC official from eight ASEAN countries, three each from Malaysia and Indonesia, two from the ASEAN Secretariat and eight observers from the host country, Viet Nam.

〇 Content：The goal was to help sports policy makers understand the structure of gender issues and to reflect gender perspectives in policy. Through the two-day training, the participants gained a structural perspective on gender issues, and also discussed how national sports policy makers can incorporate a gender perspective into their sports policies by using UN Women’s Sport for Generation Equality Framework.

〇 Outcome：
・ Each country’s representative took a gender mainstreaming perspective, analysed national sports policies in line with the principles of UN Women’s Sport for Gender Equality Framework, and identified the next proposed action plan.
・ Although it was not possible to collect a large number of responses, the results of the questionnaire showed that many participants felt that they had learnd a lot about gender issues such as gender-based violence, media representations and frameworks, including the need to take an inclusive view of gender issues and to address them as an organisation.
・  The presentation by each country of their current situation using the UN Women framework, and the consideration of next actions based on the framework, resulted in an inclusive approach and elicited initiatives to structurally view gender issues and change organisations and cultures.

〇 URL：
・“ASEAN-Japan Actions on Sports: Gender Equality Workshop 2024” report
https://www.seijo.ac.jp/news/jtmo42000001erda.html

・Others
https://www.facebook.com/share/v/qhwUp3wigdTCGmDa/
https://www.facebook.com/sport4tomorrow/videos/681250637520571

② Research Project -The issues and needs behind women and girls participation in sports-

〇 Purpose：The purpose of this study is to clarify for each country the importance for women participating in sports, and what factors hinder women and girls’ participation.

〇 Period：Nov 2023 – Feb 2024.
・Viet Nam：Monday, January 15th to Friday, January 19th 2024
・Philippines：Thursday, January 25th to Monday, January 29th 2024
・Indonesia: Sunday, November 26th to Thursday, November 30th 2023

〇 Survey target countries：Viet Nam, Philippines, Indonesia

〇 Survey target: Government officials from each country, officials from NOCs and various sports organizations, University student (female), local NGOs

〇 Methods: mainly qualitative research survey using focus group discussions; 5-6 focus group interviews per country conducted in English or Japanese with local language interpreters.

〇 Outcome：The significance of sport for women and girls in the region was identified and summarised for each country in the cultural and social context of Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines.

〇 URL：
・Report on the survey in Indonesia
SSS#3 【日ASEANインドネシア調査報告】古田映布・宮澤優士 (youtube.com)

・Report on the survey in Vietnam
SSS #4 【日ASEANベトナム調査報告】古田映布・宮澤優士 (youtube.com)

・Report on the survey in Vietnam
SSS #5 【日ASEANフィリピン調査報告】古田映布・宮澤優士 (youtube.com)

③ Information Sharing Project

〇 Content：a dedicated project website and SNS were developed to publicise the project’s initiatives and achievements. Efforts were also made to disseminate information domestically and internationally. For domestic dissemination, the overall outline and significance of the project was explained at the press conference on the establishment of the SGE and the project, and the footage of the day was later archived on the SGE’s Youtube channel.
As for dissemination abroad, SGE was invited to “High-level Meeting of the Global Observatory for Gender Equality” hosted by Global Observatory for Gender Equality & Sport (GO), which has a comprehensive agreement with SGE. Professor Rieko Yamaguchi (SGE Special Guest Researcher/Professor, Josai University Faculty of Business Administration) attended the meeting and disseminated knowledge on gender equality in and through sport, including the actual situation in South-East Asia and East Asia gained through this project.

〇 URL：
・ A press conference was held for the Japanese media regarding the subcontracting of the Post Sports For Tomorrow Promotion Project and “ASEAN-Japan Actions on Sport Gender Equality”
https://www.seijo.ac.jp/news/jtmo42000001d0id.html

・ At a stakeholder meeting held in Paris, France by the Global Observatory for Gender and Sport (GO) in cooperation with UNESCO,
https://www.seijo.ac.jp/news/jtmo42000001eqnl.html

【Related URL】

Article in Japanese

Article in Japanese

HP：ASEAN-Japan Actions on Sports Gender Equality (seijo.ac.jp)

Facebook：https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61551991443770

Instagram：seijo.sge.center

Youtube Channel：https://youtube.com/@sge.seijo.centre?si=KUpP-t4KIPjnf7to