International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS)
https://www.iugs.org/
Representative and deputy representative
Representative: Silvia Peppoloni; Deputy Representative: John Ludden
Relationship between the SCGES representatives and the officers of the union
The representative and deputy representative are officers of the IUGS.
Webpages dedicated to gender equality or women in science
A specific page of the IUGS website (https://www.iugs.org/scges) is dedicated to gender equality
and to the MoU that IUGS signed with the Standing Committee on Gender Equality in Science(SCGES).
Existence of a structure for gender equality or women in science inside the union
During the 77th IUGS EC meeting in Paris, the IUGS EC decided to create a Task Group (TGDEI:
https://www.iugs.org/taskgroups) that deals with problems related to diversity, equity, and inclusion
within the IUGS scientific community. The purpose of the task group is to bring the IUGS
constituent groups (commissions, subcommissions, task groups, initiatives) to a reasonable balanceof their members with regard to issues such as gender, geographical provenance, discipline, career
stage, etc.
Existence of a budget for gender equality or women in science activities
As the creation of the TGDEI is very recent, a budget to support its activities has not yet been
allocated. However, considering the importance of the activities the TGDEI is developing, in thenext IUGS EC meetings the possibility to support it with a dedicated budget will be discussed.
The IUGS contributes to SCGES’s activities with an annual amount of 250 Euros.
Existence of explicit policies for gender equality
The IUGS is working to develop initiatives and activities to promote gender equality in its
community, starting from the analysis of the current situation within the IUGS constituent groups.
The current presence of women in the IUGS commissions, boards, and task groups was investigated.
Based on what emerged, the TGDEI is working to carry out strategies to guarantee gender balancein each group, and to develop guidelines and recommendations to ensure that women are well
represented and hold positions of officers in the different IUGS bodies.
Activities to promote gender equality or women in science inside the union
On the occasion of the UN International Day of Women and Girls in Science Day (11st February2022) and the International Women’s Day (8th March), the IUGS has carried out and published on
its website a set of video-interviews to inspiring women in geosciences from around the world,
experts in different fields of geosciences, and at different career stages. This initiative has been very
successful, especially among early career geoscientists (https://iugs60.org/iugs-women-ingeoscience-event/).
An important initiative of the IUGS to sensitize geoscience community on the gender equality issue
has been the invitation of Marie-Françoise Roy, emerita professor and one of the leading experts on
the issue of gender equality in science field, to give a speech for suggesting policies to be adopted
and the most useful tools (web addresses, booklets, etc.) to guide the activities of the IUGS aimed ataddressing the gender issue. Her participation in the 77th IUGS EC meeting in Paris, has been very
successful, for the importance of the issues raised in the discussion and the fruitful hints,1

information and advices received by the IUGS officers. For this reason, the IUGS is considering torepeat this experience, involving representatives of other scientific organizations from time to time,
for a useful sharing of ideas and discussion.
Research activity about gender equality or women in science
The IUGS intends to carry out activities about gender equality, in particular focused on how
integrating gender dimension in research content improves quality of results and outcomes ingeosciences. To this end, the gender diversity existing in the IUGS constituent groups has been
already analyzed through a survey conducted by the IUGS Secretariat, based on the list of official
participants in all IUGS constituent groups. In particular, the full gender analysis was conductedboth by country and by constituent groups. Starting from these results, the task group is working toidentify barriers and obstacles, to suggest strategies to be adopted, to share information andexperiences on those issues with other scientific organizations, with the aim of progressively filling
the gaps and eliminating the gender unbalances existing within the groups.
Specific activities to disseminate the results of the Gender Gap in Science Project andimplement its recommendations
The IUGS shares communications relevant to gender equality in science among its members andnetworks, by using all means at its disposal, including social network accounts, website, newsletter.
Moreover, the IUGS shares projects and initiatives with the goal of gender equality, led by affiliatedorganizations. In particular, the IUGS has a close cooperation with the IAPG - International
Association for Promoting Geoethics (https://www.geoethics.org). The IAPG develops basic andapplied research on ethical and social issues that affect the scientific community, promoting values
such as inclusiveness, equity and respect for the dignity of people in the world of geosciences.
Among the several activities, the IAPG is carrying out the "Zero tolerance towards Harassment andDiscrimination" initiative, which is aimed at sensitizing the geoscientific community to theproblems of harassment and discrimination against women, as well as to promote equal
opportunities for access to roles and offices for women geoscientists.
Specific initiatives related to gender equality or women in science in Covid times
In time of pandemics, due to the limited or absent possibilities of events in presence, remoteinitiatives and activities were promoted. Among them, the aforementioned celebrations of the UN
International Day of Women and Girls in Science and the International Women’s Day. In any case,even in online events not specifically focused on gender equality, the IUGS gave wide space to thefemale presence, inviting numerous women in geosciences to deliver lectures on different themes(ranging from geo-resources to geological risks, from conservation of geological heritage tohydrogeology and geoethics), showing how important the contribution of women in geosciences isto address the global challenges of our times and to explore new pathways towards achieving amore sustainable planet (https://www.iugs.org/iugs60).

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