The International Union of Pure and Applied Physics (IUPAP) is delighted to announce that the 6th conference in this series will be hosted at the University of Birmingham, UK. Universal access to and participation in science, is a principle that runs through the activities of the International Scientific Union (ICSU) and its member unions, including the IUPAP.

IUPAP has recognised a particular need to foster the participation of women in physics.  The IUPAP Conferences series on Women in Physics, organised by IUPAP Working Group 5, has a history not only of success and growth but also of making a difference in the physics community.  The conference will be held in July 2017 at the University of Birmingham, organised in partnership with the Institute of Physics (IOP) and the Universities of Nottingham and Warwick. Having all been awarded Juno Champion status by IOP, the three universities' physics departments are strongly commited to promoting diversity and look forward to being fully involved in the conference.  The UK has a long track record in the area of gender equality in science, with IOP as one of the major pioneers.  The conference is unusual in that it relies on Country Teams of limited size, selected through Physical Societies in each country.  It is important that developing countries and island states are given a major voice in this way.