Feature: Sport and Human Rights
No.48
September 2006
 
  print / save view 

Profile - Unite for Children Unite for Peace
In just the last decade, over 2 million children have been killed as a direct result of armed conflict and more than three times that number have been permanently disabled or seriously injured. An estimated 20 million children have been forced to flee their homes and hundreds of thousands of young boys and girls have been forced to serve as child soldiers.
Unite forChildren Unite for Peace has been launched to directly address these issues. The objective of this campaign, which UNICEF and FIFA brought
to the hundreds of millions of the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, is to ensure that every child has the right to a peaceful world, free from conflict and abuse.
Football reaches more youth than any other recreational activity in the world. Football's magic touch is a worldwide phenomenon, making the sport more than just a game. It plays a major part in shaping culture in countries the world over. Harnessing the power of football, a universal language all children understand, can translate into an effective tool to combat violence and conflict, enabling children to grow up in more peaceful societies.
This campaign was born out of the strong bond FIFA and UNICEF developed over the last seven years and FIFA's continual generosity to help UNICEF achieve its mission of health, education, equality and protection for every child.
In 2004, for example, FIFA donated 1,200 'Sports-in-a-Box' recreation kits to UNICEF for countries affected by conflict. The donation helped each of these countries develop sport-related programming for peace education and peace-building.
To build on the success of that initiative, UNICEF and FIFA have come together once again to promote the Unite forChildren Unite for Peace theme, which encompasses a number of country programs and specifically focuses on global communications both during and following the 2006 FIFA World Cup. It will strive not only to promote peace internationally and nationally but to also reach deep into local communities and communicate with people on an individual level.
The campaign seeks to promote the values of peace and to address the widespread problem of violence and discrimination against children.

Contact:
Alison Qualter Berna
Sports for Development
Office of Public Partnerships
UNICEF
Three United Nations Plaza, rm 1134
New York, NY 10017
tel: +1 212 326 7553
fax: +1 646 797 0248
aqualter@unicef.org



http://www.icsspe.org/portal/index.php?w=1&z=5