Gender Champions at the IPU

At the IPU, we are strongly committed to gender parity. As part of this commitment, we have three Gender Champions: IPU Secretary General Martin Chungong, Paddy Torsney, IPU Permanent Observer to the UN in New York and Brigitte Brenner, IPU Permanent Observer to the UN and other International Organizations in Vienna.

The International Gender Champions is a network of decision makers, male and female, who have committed to breaking down gender barriers. Gender Champions sign the Gender Parity Pledge to strive for gender parity in all discussions. Also see the IPU Secretary General's guidelines to implement gender parity on panels.

Below are pledges made by Mr. Chungong, Ms. Torsney and Ms. Brenner: 

Martin Chungong
As a Gender Champion and recipient of the Inaugural SDG5 Male Champion for Change Award, I commit to undertake the following:

• Pursue efforts to ensure that gender equality is part and parcel of the IPU's work and functioning, with a specific focus on the empowerment of girls and young women as part of our Generation Equality engagement, in particular by: a) Conducting a gender mainstreaming workshop for all IPU programmes of support to parliaments in 2023, including the youth programme; and b) Organizing at least one activity in 2023 with a specific focus on diverse groups of adolescent girls and young women.
• Make IPU Assemblies ever more gender-responsive, including by: a) Encouraging IPU Members to continuously improve gender equality in participation at Assemblies and ensuring they comply with existing statutory obligations; and b) Developing a framework to promote a sexism-free and harassment-free environment at IPU Assemblies by 2023.

Paddy Torsney
As a Gender Champion, I commit to undertake the following:

• Mobilize at least three other leaders to become International Gender Champions, raising the opportunity to join the NY Hub and helping them understand and complete the process - and to live the commitments.
• Mentor women in their careers, particularly young women as they graduate, talking to them directly and ensuring they see openings, coaching them to success.

Brigitte Brenner
As a Gender Champion, I commit to undertake the following:

• I will mentor and promote young women in international Vienna, especially in the areas in which women are mostly underrepresented - security, technical cooperation and higher career positions.

• I will leverage IPU’s role in advancing gender equality in international Vienna. In particular, I pledge to a) Bring at least 2 additional gender champions to commit and join in 2023; b) Inform all multilateral embassies and international organisations in Vienna about the flagship work of the IPU on gender equality, especially about the gender-aware voting system and ask them to promote the tools they think fit for their work.