Feature: Sport and Human Rights
No.48
September 2006
 
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Profile - International Year of Sport and Physical Education 2005

The potential for sport to effectively convey messages and influence behavior on one hand, while improving the quality of people's live and promoting peace on the other has been increasingly recognized in recent years. The United Nations has incorporated sport into its programs and into their development and foreign assistance policies.
“Sport is the universal language that can bring people together, no matter what their origin, background, religious beliefs or economic status,” stated United Nations Secretary-General, Kofi Annan.
The International Year of Sport and Physical Education 2005 (IYSPE 2005), proclaimed by the United National General Assembly, aimed to raise awareness among the general public and encourage communities, organizations and individuals to share their knowledge about the value of sport. It also sought to create the right conditions for more sports-based development programs and projects.
Under the leadership of Mr. Adolf Ogi, Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Sport for Development and Peace, the International Year provided a unique opportunity to focus the world's attention on the importance of sport in society and on how sport and physical education programmes can be used as tools to help combat challenges such as extreme poverty, conflict, and HIV/AIDS and help achieve the Millennium Development Goals.
Sport and physical education play a vital role at all levels of society.
For the individual, sport enhances one's personal abilities, general health, and self-knowledge. On the national level, sport and physical education contribute to economic and social growth, improve public health and bring different communities together. On the global level, if used consistently, sport and physical education can have a long-lasting positive impact on development, public health, peace and the environment.
Access to and participation in sport and physical education provides an opportunity to enjoy social and moral inclusion for populations otherwise marginalized by social, cultural, or religious barriers due to gender, disability or other distinctions. Through sport and physical education, individuals can experience equality, freedom and a dignifying means for empowerment. The control over one's body, experienced while practicing sport, is particularly valuable for girls and women, for people with disabilities, for those affected by armed conflict and for people recovering from trauma.
The success of IYSPE 2005 has led to a growing network of governments, organizations, groups and individuals around the world who were made aware of sport and physical education's vital role in contributing to education, health, development and peace. Seventy countries from all continents set up national committees or national focal points to plan, coordinate and implement national observance of the Year. Additionally, 52 other countries reported on commemorative activities without having officially appointed such a national focal point. Finally, 20 international and over 18 regional conferences were organized during the year, connecting the role of sport with the issues of development, health, culture, environment, peace, gender and education.
The United Nations is building on the momentum of IYSPE 2005 to encourage mainstreaming of Sport for Development and Peace into the global development agenda and into government policies and programs. The General Assembly has requested the preparation of an Action Plan to strengthen United Nations partnerships with Governments, sport-related organizations and the private sector, and this will be considered at its session this fall.


Contact:
Richard Leonard
Communications Specialist
United Nations New York Office of Sport
for Development and Peace
405 Lexington Avenue
Chrysler Building, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10174
Tel. 212 457 1254;
Fax 212 254 4039




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