How to Participate...Sport Sector

Content as a PDF file

“We at the United Nations know that sport is a universal language, uniting groups and nations across divides. Sport empowers youth, promotes good health and deepens UN values such as equality, mutual respect and fair play. Sport helps us in spreading messages of peace, driving social change. I urge all global citizens to join this growing movement and become part of our team to harness the power of sport to build a better world for all.”
– U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon -

Sport has a unique power to attract, mobilize and inspire. Sport embodies the uniting principles of participation, inclusion and citizenship. As a universal language, sport can be a powerful tool to promote peace, tolerance and understanding by bringing people together across boundaries, cultures and religions. Its intrinsic values such as teamwork, fairness, discipline, respect for the opponent and the rules of the game are understood all over the world.

• - Peace One Day initiated the ONE DAY ONE GOAL campaign to encourage playing soccer around the

•    world on September 21. Thousands of matches are played globally each year for Peace Day.  Visit their

•    website for more information and to take part in this global initiative

• - Organize a sport event for peace during the Peace Festival. In the spirit of peace and harmony, bring

•    together two groups that are unfamiliar with each other. Mix the participants together and then break

•    into teams to play

• - Ask your local recreation/community centers to develop some programs which focus on peace

•    through play. Perhaps they can host sport/games that provide youth with positive activity alternatives.

•    Volunteer to help

• - Develop a  Peace Festival sports tournament which focuses on cooperative games rather than

•    competitive ones

• - Host a speaker at your school or community group during the Peace Festival to talk about using sport

•    for peace building and healing in global contexts;

• - Raise funds to buy soccer balls or other sports equipment for children in need - nearby or across the

•    world;

• - Contact your favorite sports teams and players and ask them help raise awareness about the Peace

•    Festival.

Sports activities have been increasingly recognized and used as a low-cost and high-impact tool in humanitarian, development and peace-building efforts. In grassroots projects throughout developing areas of the world, sport is used as a tool in short-term emergency humanitarian aid activities, in long-term development projects and in the social re-integration of children and youth affected by violence and war.

Creating opportunities for respectful interaction can result in increased familiarity and tolerance. It also allows individual players to find constructive ways to channel emotions, communicate effectively and work as a member of a team.

"Sport is also an important enabler of sustainable development. We recognize the growing contribution of sport to the realization of development and peace in its promotion of tolerance and respect and the contributions it makes to the empowerment of women and of young people, individuals and communities as well as to health, education and social inclusion objectives."

 – United Nations General Assembly

(We are grateful for ideas and inspiration shared by Peace Day Philly http://www.peacedayphilly.org/what-can-you-do/environment/ )

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Participation Suggestions for Sport Sector PDF