On 12 June 2024, the Vienna Hub held its Biannual Gender Champions meeting, dedicated to the 7th anniversary event of the hub, which was established on June 14, 2017. The meeting was chaired by H.E. Laura S.H. Holgate, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the United States of America to the International Organisations in Vienna.
Over 20 Gender Champions, representing the heads of Permanent Missions, International and Civil Society Organisations based in Vienna, participated in the event which was attended by more than 70 people. Champions were joined by Focal Points from the IGC Vienna Hub, who are tasked with supporting the Champions in implementing their personal commitments. The event was an opportunity for Champions to report on commitments, events as well as impact group activities. Champions also addressed the topic of Gender Language pushback and ways to coordinate efforts to address it.
Opening the event, H.E. Ambassador Holgate acknowledged the work done by the co-founders of the Vienna Hub as well as previous hub coordinators and greeted new IGC champions. She reiterated the importance of efficient functioning of the IGC network in Vienna and participants discussed the key role of a hub coordinator in ensuring smooth operations and expansion of the network.
H.E. Debora Lepre, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Italy to the International Organisations in Vienna, introduced the event's theme on Gender Language pushback. Participants pointed out that gender language is a challenging but universal issue, which requires more communication, coordination, and visibility.
In the closing remarks by H.E. Barbara Žvokelj, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Republic of Slovenia to the UN, OSCE and other International Organisations in Vienna, she emphasized that IGC should be a coordinating body for impact groups and the importance of continuous implementation of commitments.
