EDI and Sustainability in Gynaecological Oncology

The Equity, Diversity, Inclusion & Sustainability (EDI & Sustainability) portfolio at ESGO works to advance fairness, representation and environmental responsibility in gynaecological oncology.

The group identifies and addresses inequalities across gender, geography, career access, and education, while promoting sustainable practices within clinical care, research, and professional development.

Our goals

Advance gender equity across leadership, research, surgery, and education
Ensure equitable access to training and participation across all regions
Support work-life balance, parental inclusion, and fair career progression
Embed EDI principles across ESGO’s activities, including congresses, fellowships, publications, and webinars
Promote environmentally sustainable practices in gynaecological oncology, education, and ESGO events

How we work

Our activities are delivered through three core areas:

Underrepresented groups and geographical inequalities – addressing disparities across regions by improving access to training, participation, and visibility within ESGO
Environment and sustainability – driving green practices and reducing the carbon footprint of our activities
Implementation of EDI principles – embedding EDI across ESGO's strategy, governance, and operations

Sustainability at the ESGO Congress

We are actively reducing the environmental footprint of the ESGO Congress – Europe’s largest gathering of gynaecological oncologists – through practical, measurable actions:

Supporting sustainable development projects through a dedicated sustainability contribution fee
Ensuring responsible hospitality at environmentally certified venues
Providing paperless congress programmes
Reducing plastic use by providing reusable sugarcane water bottles
Lowering CO₂ emissions by offering vegetarian catering

publications

Gender and regional equity in the European Society of Gynaecological Oncology: a longitudinal analysis of a professional medical society

Tibor A. Zwimpfer, Houssein El Hajj, Alina E. Sturdza, Rene H.M. Verheijen, Sebastien Lamy, Monika Porkertova, Kim Hulscher, Agnieszka Rychlik, Ane Gerda Eriksson, Viola Heinzelmann-Schwarz, Jalid Sehouli, Anna Fagotti, Frédéric Amant, Nicole Concin, Maja Pakiz, Isabelle Ray-Coquard, Martina Aida Angeles, Alejandra Martinez

August 1, 2026

Original research

ESGO position statement: promoting inclusive surgical ergonomics in gynaecological oncology

Kalliopi Strataki, Sara Nasser, Tanja Nikolova, Enrique Chacon, Houssein El-Hajj, Andrej Cokan, Martina Aida Angeles, Maja Pakiz, Toon Van Gorp, Christina Fotopoulou

February 1, 2026

Society statements

Practical strategies for environmentally sustainable practices in gynecologic oncology

Ilker Kahramanoglu, Joanna Kacperczyk-Bartnik, Remi Nout, Francois Planchamp, Jacek Sienko, Kari Tanderup, Diana Zach, Frédéric Amant

November 1, 2025

Review

Gender-related differences in career development among gynecologic oncology surgeons in Europe. European Network of Young Gynecologic Oncologists’ Survey based data

Tanja Nikolova, Michaela Bossart, Joanna Kacperczyk-Bartnik, Zoia Razumova, Alexandra Strojna, Nicolò Bizzarri, Andrei Pletnev, Natalia R. Gomez-Hidalgo, Charalampos Theofanakis, Maximilian Lanner, Ilker Selcuk, Alexander Shushkevich, Chelariu-Raicu Anca, Natasha Nikolova, Nicole Concin, Kamil Zalewski

December 7, 2022

Original research

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