One hundred years since the birth of former US President John F Kennedy, and nearly 50 years since the establishment of Special Olympics by his mother Eunice Kennedy Shriver, Dr Timothy Shriver has been announced as UNESCO Chairholder of the UNESCO Chair in the Institute of Technology Tralee, Ireland.
UNESCO is the United Nations agency with responsibility for physical education, physical activity and sport.
The Chair was established in 2013 and is a centre of excellence and global partnership supporting UNESCO’s work for a more equitable world for all through physical education, sport, recreation and fitness. Through research, education, training and advocacy, the IT Tralee UNESCO Chair supports global actions to inclusivize.
There are 1 billion people with disabilities in the world, 80% whom live in developing countries (World Health Organisation, 2016); these countries need a voice and support in inclusivizing their society. Only 2-3 % of children with disability attend school (WHO, 2011) and only 24% of countries in the world have constitutions that specifically prohibit discrimination or guarantee equal rights on the basis of disability (Disabled World, 2017).
In 2011, Dr Shriver was recognized by The Huffington Post as one of the top 100 Game Changers and in 2016, he was named to the Oprah Winfrey Network’s SuperSoul 100 list of trailblazers whose vision and life’s work are bringing a higher level of consciousness to the world around them.
“Special Olympics has always had a great relationship with the Institute, and indeed UNESCO,” said Shriver who is also Chairman of Special Olympics International.
“This appointment gives us the opportunity to join our efforts to build a world that accepts and provides for diversity as a norm. This year is a very important one for UNESCO. In July they will convene government ministers from around the world, along with senior officials of sport, in Kazan, Russia to seek commitments for the establishment of a comprehensive vision of inclusive access for all in physical education, physical activity and sport.”
“As Chairholder, I fully support this agenda. Our Chair in Tralee, together with Special Olympics International and all other partners of the Chair, will be at the forefront of supporting inclusive access to health and wellbeing, communities, education, economy and society aligning with the UN Sustainable Development Agenda 2030,”he said.
“Dr Timothy Shriver brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to this role,” added Dr Oliver Murphy, President of the Tralee Institute of Technology.
“Through the power and reach of his connections he will fast-track the inclusion of people with disabilities as a priority policy and practice area globally.”
“The appointment of Dr Timothy Shriver as UNESCO Chairholder marks a very proud moment for the Institute, we look forward to welcoming him in Tralee later this year to see the new €16.5m home for our UNESCO Chair under construction”.
We are all set for this Wednesday June 14th for Unleashing Content where we will hear how Red Bull have built a global media brand on sports and cultural content, how the world of media is shaping up to new forms of content, how the GAA is managing its own video ‘clip’ content, how the value of content is measured and how athletes fit into the new picture. See the full timetable and secure your place here.
