In a significant advance fr the importance with which sport is viewed at the highest levels of society and Government, the United Nations General Assembly has this week adopted by consensus Resolution A/79/L.10 on sport as a driving force for sustainable development, with all 193 Member States now signed up to promoting sustainable development through sport.
The initiative reaffirms the UN’s commitment to the unifying mission of the Olympic and Paralympic Games and underlines the essential role of sport in global well-being, its potential to promote peace, gender equality, social inclusion and respect for human rights.
This act reinforces the crucial role of sport in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), placing additional emphasis on the principles of equality, non-discrimination and solidarity.
These decisions matter in the priority and importance which the EU and national government’s place on the value of sport and the support they can put behind it.
“Please accept my sincere thanks for the adoption of this resolution by consensus, which once again demonstrates that sport can unite us all,” said Thomas Bach, President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
“Be assured that we will use this autonomy responsibly to promote the values we share with the UN: Universality, equality, non-discrimination, the rule of law, solidarity and, above all: Peace.
During the debate UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that “The Olympic spirit is the most important symbol of peace in today’s world.”
“In Paris, athletes from the territories of the 206 National Olympic Committees and the IOC Refugee Olympic Team competed fiercely against each other. At the same time, they lived together peacefully under one roof in the Olympic Village,” added Bach.
“Although many of their countries were at war, the athletes respected each other. The athletes showed us what our world would be like if we all lived in the Olympic spirit of peaceful coexistence. They have created a culture of peace.”
“In 2014, the UN and the IOC signed a Memorandum of Understanding, marking the beginning of a new era of unprecedented cooperation. In 2015, sport was recognised as a ‘key driver’ of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, and in 2020, sport was declared a ‘global accelerator for peace and development’. For us, peace is the most important SDG. Our mission is to create a culture of peace by bringing together athletes from all over the world, even if their countries are at war.”
“At the Olympic Games, we are all equal, regardless of our origin or nationality. There is no ‘global south’ or ‘global north’. There is only one global village: the Olympic Village. Everyone who respects the rules of the Olympic Charter is welcome at the Olympic Games”.
The resolution calls on UN Member States to integrate sport into their national sustainable development strategies as a means of promoting key areas such as education, health, nutrition and environmental sustainability.
“Sport, including sport for persons with disabilities, plays an important role in promoting peace, development, physical and mental health, gender equality, the empowerment of women and girls, respect for human rights and the fight against racism and racial discrimination,” the resolution states.
The resolution can be read in full here.
Sport for Business Partner in the area of Sport for Social Good Allianz are a global partner of the International Olympic and Paralympic Councils as well as of the Olympic Federation of Ireland and Paralympics Ireland.
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