UN-IOC Accord for Sport for Peace: Civil Services Mentor Magazine - July 2014

UN-IOC Accord for Sport for Peace

Introduction

Sports have always been recognized as an important means of resolving conflicts and maintaining cordial and peaceful relations. Sporting events have the potential to bring together different communities and nations, and act in a harmonious way. The examples of various international sporting events, like- The Olympics, Commonwealth Games, Asian Games etc, are evidence of the fact that many countries have successfully used such events to iron out the differences.

It is in this regard that the United Nations Organization (UNO) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has signed a historic agreement to use the power of the sports to promote peace and economic development, with an aim to strengthen the collaboration between the nations.

At an event, the IOC President Thomas Bach said that the Olympic principles are United Nations principles. While bringing out a comparison between the two international organizations, Mr. Bach mentioned that both- the UN and Olympic charter- call for international cooperation to promote peace, a better life for people around the world and preserving human dignity.

Adding to the commonality in the goals and objectives of the two organizations, UN Secretary-General Mr. Ban-ki-Moon said that:

"the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed with the IOC was a logical and historic step after years of ever closer collaboration in using sport to promote development and peace."

The Accord for Sports for Peace

The agreement calls for sporting initiatives between the IOC, National Olympic Committees, International Sports Federations, Organizing Committees and International Athletes and the 193 UN member states, apart from the various UN Agencies, Envoys and goodwill ambassadors.

The Accord entails a plan whereby, the two organizations will be promoting education for youth through sports without discrimination of any kind, access to sport for all communities, especially the most disadvantaged and marginalized, healthy lifestyles and peace-building and community dialogue.

The Accord specifically recognizes the role of sports in reducing stigma and increasing the social and economic integration of marginalized people and in bridging cultural, religious, ethnic and social divides.

There is a need, in the contemporary world, to promote the values of teamwork, fairness and respect for opponent and the rules of the game. The universal law of sports is based on global ethics, fair-play, respect and friendship.

In the politically and ethnically divided contemporary world, it is the sports world that gives hope to be politically neutral, while also not being apolitical. UN Secretary-General also announced the appointment of former IOC President Jacques Rogge as his Special Envoy on Youth, Refugees and Sport. He will help promote sport as an empowering tool for youth from displaced and refugee communities towards peace, reconciliation, security, health, education, gender equality, and a more inclusive society.

Mr. Ban particularly mentioned the important role of sports in the conflict-ridden areas, such as Syria, the Central African Republic and South Sudan, and in the neighbouring countries which host millions of refugees. The President of the General Assembly, John Ashe, also praised the power of sport to help meet the deadline for the eight anti-poverty targets known as Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

On the same note, Mr. Ban mentioned that Sport can also motivate children to enroll and do well in school, empower girls and women by providing opportunities for leadership and accomplishments, and help reach many groups and communities with important messages on HIV/AIDS and other diseases, drug abuse and environmental protection.

Features of the UN-IOC Accord on Sports:

  • Joint sporting initiatives with help of International Olympics Committee and its allies vs. UN, its member states, Specialized agencies and goodwill ambassadors (like Suresh Kalmadi and Sheila Dixit.)
  • Educate youth via sports: learn while you play
  • Sports to increase interaction of margined society with rest of the world .
  • In conflict areas like Syria and S.Sudan, Sports can help restore some normalcy.
  • Sports can motivate children to enroll in schools.
  • Sports can empower girls, give them leadership skills.

Even HIV, drug abuse and environment protection messages can be taught via sports

Other Initiatives:

Peace and Sport

Peace and Sport is a neutral and apolitical international initiative based in Monaco. It puts sports and its values at the heart of local development projects conducted within communities in crisis around the world. Peace and Sport had its first International Forum in 2012 outside the Principality of Monaco. The Forum allows Peace and Sport to deliver its message around the world. It seek to internationalize its goal and allow peace through sport to reach new ground at all levels. Peace and Sport has also established a regional forum at Dubai.

It make sports a vehicle for tolerance, respect, sharing and citizenship. The organization is supported by governments, world sport governing bodies, international organizations, major international private companies and international sports champions.

Apart from organizing various sporting events, the organization also gives Peace and Sport Awards, to reward individuals and initiatives contributing to peace.

Sports Accord:

Launched in 2003, Sports Accord is the umbrella organization for all International sports federations as well as organisers of multi-sports games and sport-related international associations. It has around 93 full members and 16 associate members.

It offers the participants a powerful opportunity to come together on a global scale, in an exclusive and authoritative networking environment, to build relationships, share knowledge and develop ideas that will benefit the entire community.

Over the years, SportAccord International Convention has become one of the key fixtures on the world-wide sporting calendar. It allows associations as well as the international sports federations to increase efficiency by holding all their annual meetings at the same time and place, and serves also as a commercial platform whereby the sports industry can have 'one-stop-shop' access to the world governing bodies of sport and their key decision-makers.

It has thus emerged as an organization with the key values of neutrality, transparency and accountability while promoting sport's ability to contribute to positive change in communities.

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