Securing a Sustainable and Peaceful Future for All

International Day of Sport for Development and Peace 2022
01/04/2022 17:06

6 April 2022 is the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace (IDSDP), a day when the United Nations (UN), ICSSPE and the whole sport movement recognise and promote the important and positive role that sport and physical activity play in communities and in people’s lives across the globe.  

 

In recognition of sport’s broad influence, the global theme of IDSDP 2022 as declared by the UN, is, Securing a Sustainable and Peaceful Future for All: The Contribution of Sport – which resonates with ICSSPE’s vision to become a leader of the global movement educating for sustainable quality of life for all through physical activity and sport.

 

“I see a major role for the global community of Sport, Physical Activity and Physical Education professionals, educators, and researchers in providing measures, which promote physical education, physical activity and sport as an essential contribution to a sustainable future,” Dr Uri Schaefer, ICSSPE President, said on the occasion of this year’s International Day of Sport for Development and Peace.

 

“The main objective of our Biennial Working Programme 2022/23 is to support sustainable development in and through sport, physical activity and physical education. The quality of innovations in sport is widely regarded as pivotal in realising and fulfilling goals and objectives of organisations. Strong and ethical projects in sport, physical activity and education influence accountable practices globally and ICSSPE and our members will continue to play a role in this.”

 

In response, ICSSPE’s Biennial Working Programme for 2022/23 outlines priority areas that have been identified for this and the next year, which are Urbanisation, Demographic developments, Climate change, Resource pressure, and Green technology. Projects within the Biennial Working Programme are promoting the collaboration among ICSSPE members, their partners, government organisations, sport federations and research institutions. All results, research findings, resources, education material or policy recommendations will be available to ICSSPE’s members and partners for delivery and policy making in a variety of international contexts.

 

United Nations and IDSDP

According to the UN, this year’s theme, Securing a Sustainable and Peaceful Future for All: The Contribution of Sport, creates an opportunity for the Day’s celebrations to promote the use of sport as a tool to advance human rights and sustainable development.

 

Under this year’s theme, UN Headquarters in New York will recognise the role of sport in addressing the climate crisis and will highlight actions to lower greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate against climate change.

 

Sport is in a unique position to display leadership, to take responsibility for its carbon footprint, engage in a climate neutral journey, incentivise action beyond the sporting sector, and play a major role in amplifying awareness among its billions of spectators, facilitators and participants at all levels.

 

With the need for urgent action growing direr every day, the relationship between sport and climate must be better understood and ways of developing policies and taking concrete action to help reverse the impact of climate change through sport must be communicated to as wide an audience as possible.

 

In a virtual event International Day of Sport for Development and Peace: The Role of Sport in Combating Climate Change on Wednesday, 6 April 2022 these topics will be discussed on the UN YouTube Channel or UN Web TV at 9:30 am ETC - 3:30 pm CEST.

 

 

Hosted by UN Under-Secretary-General Melissa Fleming, the event will offer the opportunity to learn about innovative actions sport is taking to limit its footprint, incentivise action in, and beyond, the sporting sector, and how it plays a major role in amplifying awareness and contributing low-cost, high-impact solutions.

 

It will feature remarks from high-level UN Officials, and conversations with elite athletes and Olympians, and major sporting groups. For more information and to register see HERE.

 

Sport has the power to align our passion, energy and enthusiasm around a collective cause. And that is precisely when hope can be nurtured and trust can be regained. It is in our collective interest to harness the tremendous power of sport to help build a better and more sustainable future for all.

- UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina J. Mohammed

 

For more on the UN and IDSDP see HERE 

 

About the IDSDP

Creating a historical link to the first modern Olympic Games in Athens in 1896 (6-15 April 1896), 6 April was declared the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace by the United Nations (UN) General Assembly in 2013, and has been celebrated each year since 2014. See the UN Resolution for the IDSDP launch HERE.