CSIT Leadership at the United Nations & the International Olympic Committee on the lake Geneva / CH
Forum on Sport for Development and Peace Opens at UN Headquarters in Geneva
The second edition of the "International Forum on Sport for Peace and Development" kicked off today at the United Nations (UN) headquarters in Geneva. A number of high-ranked personalities and key figures of the Sport for Development and Peace movement have gathered to look at sport as a catalyst for achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and developing a culture of peace, both from a policy and an implementation perspective.
Participants include representatives from the world of sport, the UN, national governments, expert organisations and universities. Among the high-level speakers are UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, President of Hungary and IOC Member Pál Schmitt, UK Minister for Sport and the Olympic Games Hugh Robertson, President of the International Equestrian Federation HRH Princess Haya Al Hussein, President of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games Organizing Committee Carlos Nuzman, and Director of the Geneva Centre for Security Policy Fred Tanner.
In his opening speech, UN co-host and Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Sport for Development and Peace Wilfried Lemke said: "We are only four years away from the deadline for the MDGs. Time is pressing. In our pursuit towards achieving them, sport has definitely proven to be a powerful tool. Today, we have a wealth of evidence from the field making the case for sport as a vehicle for social change." He added: "MDG n°8 is about developing a global partnership. This is exactly what we are doing here today at this gathering. Just like in sport, teamwork is behind success and we must keep working together, as a movement, towards making the world a more equitable, safe and sustainable place through sport."
At the opening, IOC President Jacques Rogge said: "I congratulate the Forum organisers for an excellent agenda that includes a dual focus on policy and implementation. Policy is important because it provides the strategic framework for our efforts. But policy without implementation is talk without action. Our ultimate objective is to be successful and efficient on the ground - to serve humankind. To get there, the contribution of a range of stakeholders is needed." He added: "Sport cannot solve all of the world's ills, but it can contribute to meaningful solutions."
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See photos of the opening here.
For more information:
www.un.org/sport
www.youtube.com/unosdp
www.facebook.com/unsport
www.twitter.com/unosdp
www.flickr.com/unosdp
Contact:
Antoine Tardy, Advocacy and Communications Officer
UN Office on Sport for Development and Peace
E-mail: atardy@unog.ch;
telephone: +41 (0)22 917 47 12;
fax: +41 (0)22 917 07 12
10.05.2011 15:53