The third edition of the FIFA Women’s Football and Leadership conference, to be held today 6 March, in Zurich ahead of the International Women’s Day, will focus on equality and inclusion.

The central theme of the conference is 'Making Equality a Reality' and it will be divided into three sessions: progressing towards gender equality; men as equal agents of change; and strength in diversity: achieving inclusion in/through sport.

During these sessions the focus will be on the following areas, including: what stands in the way of gender equality?; women in football: players, coaches, referees and decision-makers; the other side of gender: how to engage men, sport as a tool for inclusion and humanitarian work; and, fighting racism and sexism in sport.

The conference aims to broaden its support for women's football and offer a platform to discuss how to support women in sport and in society as a whole.

"The reforms institutionally increased female representation on the FIFA Council, but it was up to us, the administration, to make sure that the concept was reflected in how we operate. So, for the first time ever, FIFA has a dedicated Women’s Football Division. It’s a change of status. It means a dedicated budget, a seat on our management board. This will have a direct impact on the game." said FIFA Secretary General Fatma Samoura in a recent interview.

Guest speakers include four-time UEFA Champions League winner, Clarence Seedorf;Fare Executive Director, Piara Powar; Lakshmi Puri, deputy director of UN Women (the UN department for Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment); and decision makers at FIFA such as Sarai Bareman and Joyce Cook. Sherine Tadros, head of the UN Office in New York for Amnesty International, will host the event.

View the full programme.