Sports
Online, 28 September 2023
08:00 AM New York Time; 14:00 PM Madrid Time; 21:00 PM Tokyo Time
Concept Note
Background and rationale
In 1981 the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) established 21st September as the International Day
of Peace to commemorate a day devoted to strengthening the ideals of peace. In 2011 the UNGA voted
unanimously for this date to be a period of non-violence and cease-fire. Each year, on the International
Day of Peace, a different theme and planned series of events is celebrated accordingly.
Sports go beyond borders defined by nations, cultures, socioeconomic statuses, and politics. They serve
as a means of social cohesion, bridging gaps, and as a tool to tackle a wide array of societal and economic
issues. This contribution extends to supporting the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals
(SDGs). The Sustainable Development Agenda for 2030 recognizes the “growing contribution of sport and
culture to the realization of development and peace in the promotion of tolerance and respect as well as
the empowerment of youth and women, individuals and communities.”
Throughout history, sports have held a pivotal role in spreading positive ideals universally, transcending
civilizations and cultural differences. This characteristic positions sports as a potent medium for fostering
initiatives aimed at cultivating peace and preventing and countering instances of violent extremism.
Notably, the younger generation has taken the lead in nurturing ongoing dialogues concerning
peacebuilding and progress within societies.
To Commemorate the International Day of Peace, on 28 September the Global Sports Programme will
hold a 90–min online discussion on Peace Beyond the Pitch: Prevention of Violent Extremism through
Sports, aimed at emphasizing the power of sport as a tool to prevent violent extremism (PVE)so to directly
pursue the SDGs.
The Global Programme on the Security of Major Sporting Events, and Promotion of Sport and Its Values as
a Tool to Prevent Violent Extremism (Global Sports Programme) is led by the United Nations Office of
Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT), through its Programme Office in Madrid, in partnership with the UN
Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI), the UN Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) and
the International Centre for Sport Security (ICSS), and in close consultation with the UN Counter-Terrorism
Committee Executive Directorate (CTED). The Global Sports Programme’s key objectives are to a) assist
Member States in protecting vulnerable targets in the context of Major Sporting Events, and b) leverage
the power of sports and its values to strengthen social cohesion and build resilience to violent extremism.
The Global Sports Programme serves as a platform for thousands of experts, policymakers, and
practitioners including 244 National Focal Points (NFPs) nominated by 118 Member States for substantive
engagement vis-a-vis programmatic activities, and sport federations, associations, athletes and civil
society organizations to share knowledge and perspectives benefitting all.
Existing international frameworks and initiatives
The UN Security Council, in its resolution 2419 (2018), recognizes the growing contribution of sport and
culture to the realization of development and peace in its promotion of tolerance and respect and
contributions it makes to the empowerment of youth and women, individuals, and communities. Several
UN agencies and specialized bodies have placed significant efforts and initiatives to leverage on sports for
the advancement of peace and development.
The UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) Inter-Agency Group on Sport for
Development and Peace (IAGSDP) strives to advance the role of sport as a tool for development, including
through the implementation of the UN Action Plan on Sport for Development and Peace, promotes
effective collaboration between organizations at the national and regional levels, including the exchange
of best practices, and encourages the inclusion of sport in pertinent intergovernmental processes. This is
done in part by implementing the UN Action Plan on Sport for Development and Peace.
On its part, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) provides
Member States with assistance, counsel, and guidance, in order to create or enhance their sports policies.
Furthermore, the Youth Crime Prevention through Sport initiative of the United Nations Office on Drugs
and Crime (UNODC) promotes sports to deter crime and aid in the development of resilience in vulnerable
kids. The initiative's objective includes enhancing young people's life skills to lower risk factors for crime,
violence, and drug use through positively impacting the behavior of at-risk adolescents. A cooperative
effort to "Strengthen Youth Resilience through Sport: Using sport to promote positive youth development
and social change to prevent crime, violence, and drug use” has also been ongoing with the International
Olympic Committee (IOC) since 2022, as part of the Youth Crime Prevention through Sport initiative.
The 8th
review of the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy A/RES/77/298, encourages
Member States, United Nations entities, regional and subregional organizations and relevant actors to
consider instituting mechanisms to involve youth in the promotion of a culture of peace, tolerance and
intercultural and interreligious dialogue and develop, as appropriate, an understanding of respect for
human dignity, pluralism and diversity, including, as appropriate, through education programmes, as well
as sports and physical activities, that could prevent and discourage their participation in acts of terrorism,
violent extremism conducive to terrorism, violence, xenophobia and all forms of discrimination.
Following UNOCT’s mandate, the Global Sports Programme provides direct support to Member States as
well as issued a “Guide for Policymakers for The Use of Sport for the Prevention of Violent Extremism” and
a Handbook for “Preventing Violent Extremism through Major Sporting Events” to leverage the full
potential of the use of sport and its values for PVE goals. Furthermore, the Programme’s highly successful
global media campaign “#MoreThanAGame” was launched in partnership with the Generation Amazing
Foundation highlighting inspiring stories of youth, alongside professional footballer Nadia Nadim, to
promote the power of sport to make real, positive change.
Objectives
• Recognize new actions and good practices that use sports for peace and as a tool to PVE
• Facilitate, through the Connect and Learn Platform, a permanent forum of discussion and
knowledge sharing at the local, national, regional, and international levels
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