Some recent words from the head of a global think tank discussing plans for their annual conference were extremely heartening:

“We will have to change the composition of this panel if we want the Ambassador to accept.”

They reflected a growing awareness, with people and organizations across the Geneva ecosystem, thinking and acting more intentionally around representation and inclusion of different voices and perspectives. Our hope, of course, is that ensuring diverse panel composition will soon become instinctive, with the value of diversity recognized from all angles, not only as a condition for securing the Ambassador’s participation.

Since the International Gender Champions’ (IGC) creation in 2015, the Panel Parity Pledge has been at the heart of Champions’ commitments. The Pledge, which asks all Gender Champions to no longer participate in single-gender panels, positions international leaders as role models for advancing inclusive leadership and decision making.

The Panel Parity Pledge was originally designed to address the overall underrepresentation of women in panel discussions, and to encourage greater participation of men in conversations on gender equality. Over the past five years, on average, 79% of Champions responding to the IGC Annual Survey reported fully adhering to the Pledge. In 2025, over 55% evoked the Pledge to request gender balance from panel organizers, with a success rate of 35%.

Now, over a decade after its inception, the IGC Global Board has decided to raise the bar. The updated Panel Parity Pledge, launched in March 2026, expands its scope to reflect a more comprehensive understanding of power structures, inclusion, and full, equal, meaningful, effective and safe participation. While gender balance remains at its core, the Pledge now also promotes wider diversity and seeks to shift norms so that homogeneous panels become increasingly unacceptable.

Why this matters

Updating the Pledge is both a matter of principle and impact. It begins with justice: equal participation in decision making is a right, not a privilege. The figures show we still have a way to go. In the multilateral sphere, where high-level panel discussions continue to shape policy priorities, including diverse expert voices means ensuring that discussions reflect the societies they aim to serve. That is essential to build legitimacy and ownership. 

At the same time, it is strategic: inclusion increases impact. Substantial evidence has been collected over recent years to show that diverse representation leads to better outcomes. Where conversations are not dominated by a narrow set of voices, they can accommodate a wider range of expertise, lived experiences, perspectives, and opinions. When accompanied by a genuinely inclusive environment, this diversity can translate into more innovative solutions, sounder risk assessments and more comprehensive political analysis.

The case for going further

Gender balance is an important part of inclusive decision-making, but it is insufficient on its own. Different social identities, including gender (identity), race, age, class, ethnicity, nationality, sexual orientation or disability intersect to create experiences of privilege and marginalization. Recognizing this reality, the updated Panel Parity Pledge places intersectionality at its core, moving beyond gender balance alone to embrace a broader and more nuanced understanding of diversity.

This approach speaks directly to the context in which leaders operate today. Different forms of discrimination can compound to deepen exclusion and vulnerability. These challenges are not abstract or theoretical; they are lived realities that demand effective responses.

It may seem counterintuitive to broaden the scope of the Pledge at a moment when inclusion work is in retreat. But the moment pressure mounts is precisely when we need to do more. We are witnessing deliberate, coordinated pushback on gender equality, diversity, equity, and inclusion in legislatures, multilateral spaces, and public discourse. At the IGC, our strategic answer to this shifting environment is not a smaller target, but a sharper, more intentional one. The new guidance accompanying the updated Panel Parity Pledge offers concrete language and additional tools to Champions and their teams, supporting them in taking a clear stance for equality.

Strengthening the Pledge is both timely and necessary. It reflects a commitment to addressing inequality in all its complexity, resists backsliding and aligns with a foundational principle of the Sustainable Development Agenda: Leave No One Behind.

What changes in practice

Inclusion requires deliberate design. 

By introducing additional considerations for panelists, moderators, and organizers, the updated Pledge shifts from presence to process. It encourages Champions and their teams to routinely ask more searching questions: who is missing from the conversation, and why? What systemic barriers explain their absence? How have the organizers structured the panel to ensure that all voices can be heard and participate meaningfully? And who is best placed to speak to the specific intersection of issues being discussed?

Moderators and organizers are invited to go beyond assembling diverse panels, and to proactively foster the conditions in which diverse voices can contribute fully and equitably. In addition to facilitating balanced participation through active management of speaking time, the updated Panel Parity Pledge also includes provisions on addressing and challenging discriminatory language when it arises. It also integrates accessibility considerations from the outset rather than treating them as an afterthought. Practical choices matter too: factors as simple as the timing or location of an event can significantly shape who is able to take part.

The Pledge also recognizes that participation in public discussions is not always risk‑free. Civil society actors and (women) human or environmental rights defenders, in particular, may face personal or professional repercussions for speaking publicly. Organizers are therefore encouraged to take these risks seriously and to put appropriate safeguards in place, with updated Pledge Guidance providing referral to existing resources.

Finally, the Pledge encourages a shift in how panelists are invited, introduced, and welcomed to ensure that diverse experts are recognized for the breadth and depth of their expertise. Rather than being defined by a single aspect of their identity or expected to represent an entire group, they should be valued for their individual knowledge, experience, and professional contributions.

The standard we want to set 

The updated Panel Parity Pledge is designed around a standard we want to make reflexive: one in which full inclusion and diverse panels are the default, not the exception. By integrating gender balance and broader diversity considerations from the outset, the Pledge seeks to encourage deliberate, inclusive choices until they become second nature. The ultimate measure of success will be when these practices are so embedded that they no longer require a Pledge.