The IAC and IAP are uniquely placed to help academies exchange information on good management practice and on innovative and effective programmes for improving women’s representation in science and technology. Through their reports, meetings, and constant flow of global communications, the IAC and IAP can:

•  Motivate women and men from the international S&T community in general and from member academies in particular to develop inclusive cultures,
• Ask each member academy to report annually on the status of women in its organization and on measures that are being taken to ensure its full inclusion of women,
•  Engage social scientists to provide academic evaluations of issues and progress,
•  Develop international partnerships to address the underrepresentation of women in science and technology and to secure funding for women-in-S&T programmes,
•  Assist academies in consolidating their contacts and intellectual capabilities to advise numerous governments and international bodies on gender-equity issues.

The IAC and IAP can credibly undertake the above actions, however, only after putting their own houses in order. They need to develop a strategy, similar to the one outlined earlier for individual academies that involves:

•  Commitment by the IAC and IAP co-chairs to equality and diversity;
• Placement of gender issues on the agenda of IAC and IAP study panel meetings;
•  Monitoring of progress, based on the yearly (preferably standardized) collection, analysis, and reporting of sex-disaggregated statistics;
• Inclusion of women experts on study panels;
• Giving close attention to gender aspects of research supported and reports produced.

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