| Partners and Events | No.37 February 2003 |

UNESCO Round Table of Ministers of Physical Education and Sport (Paris, January 9-10, 2003) The first Round Table of Ministers of Physical Education and Sport took place at the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris on January 9-10, 2003. ICSSPE was represented by Prof. Dr. Gudrun Doll-Tepper, ICSSPE President, Prof. Dr. Margaret Talbot, ICSSPE Vice-President and IAPESGW President, and Christophe Mailliet, ICSSPE Executive Director. Additionally, Prof. Dr. Ron Feingold, AIESEP President, and Prof. Dr. Manoel Tubino, FIEP President, were invited by UNESCO and also attended the meeting. Other NGOs represented included FIMS and ICHPER.SD. ICSSPE presented the following statements at the meeting. The first part Strengthening physical education and sport in the educational environment was presented by Prof. Dr. Gudrun Doll-Tepper as an introductory keynote speech for the session on this theme. Parts 2 and 3 Protection of young athletes/International legal document against doping were presented respectively by Prof. Dr. Margaret Talbot and Prof. Dr. Gudrun Doll-Tepper during the debates. Each statement is addended (italics) by the relevant section of the final communiqué which directly relates to the information presented by ICSSPE and states the official commitment of the participating and represented ministers and senior officials. Position of the International Council of Sport Science and Physical Education 1. Strengthening physical education and sport in the educational environment The International Council of Sport Science and Physical Education was the initiator of the first comprehensive, world-wide audit on the state and status of physical education, and of the World Summit on Physical Education in Berlin, Nov. 3-5, 1999, which received patronage and support from UNESCO, the World Health Organisation and the IOC. We are very pleased that there is now an international consensus that this issue deserves serious consideration, in order to solve existing and future problems. We are encouraged by the very positive support given to progressing access to physical education and sport by all contributors to the discussion. The World Summit on Physical Education offered an opportunity to discuss physical education from different scientific angles. Tropics of keynote addresses included: State and status of physical education in global context Case for physical education Good practice in physical education Nutritional needs for physical education Physical education and physical development Social, community development through physical education Physical education, health and well-being Physical education: economic considerations Additionally, workshops were conducted on varied themes including: Physical Education in National Development and Reconstruction Inclusion and Integration Working towards a balanced curriculum Physical education, schools and community Important findings from the international comparative survey brought up recurrent issues in many parts of the world, such as: Decreasing curriculum time allocation Budgetary constraints with inadequate financial, material and personnel resources Low subject status and esteem Marginalisation and under-valuation by authorities In the physical education profession and in academia, there is now a consensus that the issue of physical education deserves serious consideration in all nations world-wide. Data from all regions of the world show a steady increase in health problems linked to the lack of physical activity. At the same time, recent studies show that physically active students tend to perform better in academic subjects. "Quality" is the key to successful future developments, especially with regard to: Physical education programmes in the schools Co-operation between schools, community and clubs Professional training in universities and in-service training. At the end of the World Summit on Physical Education, the participants adopted the "Berlin Agenda for Action for Government Ministers" which states: "The World Summit on Physical Education reinforces the importance of Physical Education as a life-long process. It is particularly important for every child as articulated in the International Convention on the Rights of the Child. All children have a right to: the highest level of health, free compulsory primary education for both cognitive and physical development, rest and leisure, play and recreation." ICSSPE urges Member states to take action to sustain a positive future for physical education and sport in schools and the wider community by placing emphasis on the quality of delivery of physical education and sport. This includes: appropriate teacher training preparation, regular required in-service teacher training, development of physical education curricula which are relevant to individuals and 21st century life-style patterns, improved education regarding issues related to the fight against doping, and inclusion policies for gender and disability-related issues to provide equal opportunities for boys and girls and young people with disabilities. Such inclusion policies need to be translated into school, out-of-school and post-school community settings through facilitation of multi-sector partnership links. ICSSPE also urges all Member States to keep a watching brief on developments and monitor the implementation of policy promises into reality. International research results provide a challenge to address the status and resources of physical education. Most governments are working hard to balance the overwhelming number of requests for their limited resources. However, when physical education is not incorporated as an integral part of education programs, the consequences can be long/lasting and manifold. The issue can be summarised by the following slogan: "Pay for physical education now. Or pay - much more - later for the damage done." Physical education can and does provide a large number of health, social, cognitive and economic benefits. Physical education can and does provide a return on investment in other areas of spending, most notably health. Based on the evidence available, we ask Member States to effectively implement the Declaration of Punta del Este and the recommendations of MINEPS III. Governments and civil society, working together, can make a difference for our most precious resource - today's children and youth. This is an international problem requiring international, national and local action. Selected literature DOLL-TEPPER G. & SCORETZ D.: Proceedings of the World Summit on Physical Education. International Council of Sport Science and Physical Education, Berlin 2001. (available in English, German, Chinese, Polish, Japanese) HARDMAN K. & MARSHALL J.: World-wide Survey of the State and Status of School Physical Education - Summary Findings. University of Manchester, Manchester 1999. Section 2, page 2. Final communiqué, of the Round Table of Ministers and Senior Officials Reponsible for Physical Education and Sport, Paris, 2003. participants committed themselves to: a) Make further efforts to fulfil the commitments made at the Third International Conference of Ministers and Senior Officials Responsible for Physical Education and Sport (MINEPS III). b) - Work actively so that the place of physical education and sport within and outside education systems is fully recognized and developed - through actions to improve the curriculum, sports facilities and equipment, the status of physical education and the initial and in-service training of teachers and also through the elaboration of strategies for combating all forms of discrimination linked to gender, income, social origins, location or disability. - Put in place monitoring systems to regularly review the situation of physical education in our respective countries, in particular its role in evaluation systems. - Strengthen cooperation between different partners (the family, schools, sporting associations and clubs, communities, local and other relevant authorities, public and private sectors) to obtain a synergy that ensures the availability of physical education of good quality for all. - Support less developed countries in their efforts to offer more opportunities for physical education and sport to their people. - Revitalize the practice of traditional sports and games, a key expression of cultural identities, and promote their interaction with modern sports. 2. Protection of young athletes The International Council of Sport Science and Physical Education is pleased to have the opportunity to make an intervention on the protection of young athletes, from the point of view of practitioners in physical education, sport and research. As pointed out in the annotated agenda, young athletes and children engaged in sport and physical activity are often exposed to risks and threats which are a direct consequence of either unsuitable practices of sport, or of inappropriate conditions and settings. Exploitation of children and youth in sport can be diverse and manifold, leading to damage to their personal and/or material well-being and the integrity of their personality, up to being subject to criminal behaviour such as sexual and physical harassment and abuse. Sadly, sport can be a magnet for child abusers. Sport cannot have separate status with regard to commonly accepted standards for the ethical treatment of, and care for children and youth. Children and youth have a right to play, rest, and education, as stated in the International Convention for the Rights of Children. The world of sport must make sure that children and youth are treated with due care and respect, through the development of models of good practice. Effective and professional preparation of teachers and coaches is one of the keys to achieve this, and it is essential that all the people concerned with the sport experience of young people share the same values of respect for both sport and the dignity of the young people they serve. Governments must make sure that the provisions pertaining to the rights of children and youth are respected in their countries, and that existing regulations against child abuse and child labour are applied as well. When such regulations are missing, Member states should adopt such legislative texts as soon as possible. It is necessary to end the exploitation of children and young athletes for doubtful purposes, whether commercial or political. It is noteworthy that in many cases, it has been the educational community and academic researchers, who have shown the commitment and courage to raise awareness of this issue, especially sexual harassment and abuse. Where sports organisations have worked positively with these researchers to address the problem, especially when they have been supported by governments, there have been very positive results. Sports organisations should recognise their own responsibilities for developing good practice in child protection and preparing children and young people to make informed decisions in sport. To ensure healthy children and young people, we have to ensure healthy sport. Section 2, page 2. Final communiqué, of the Round Table of Ministers and Senior Officials Reponsible for Physical Education and Sport, Paris, 2003. Participants committed themselves to: - Promote, through UNESCO and the Intergovernmental Committee on Physical Education and Sport (CIGEPS), on the basis of existing international normative instruments, the definition of globally acceptable principles which allow talented young people to develop their athletic potential while not denying them their fundamental rights; for this purpose, encourage the professions concerned to develop a "code of good practice", in close cooperation with sports movements. 3. Drafting of an international legal instrument to combat doping in sport ICSSPE fully supports the work undertaken by WADA and recommends that governments and sport organisations continue to work co-operatively to solve the issue of doping. On both the international and national level, a co-operative approach should be favoured instead of a coercive one. We hope that the efforts of WADA will result in internationally accepted standards for the fight against doping, which will then be adapted to the particular national legal systems. The unethical and destructive behaviours linked to the practice of doping, which sometimes includes the encouragement of such practices by various institutions such as some sport teams, deserve a strong reaction and effective instruments to end it. All stakeholders must take responsibility for their deeds and will have to be judged by their actions in the future. Effective control mechanisms concerning the production and distribution by the pharmaceutical industry of products which can be misused for doping practices, as well as concerning the manufacturing and uncontrolled distribution of dubious so-called "food supplements", should be put in place and implemented by the responsible bodies at the international and national level. As stated by the representative of FIMS, future teachers and coaches should be made fully aware of their responsibilities in the fight against doping. This must be reflected in their education and training at all levels. ICSSPE also points out the crucial role of education, in raising the awareness of young people, regarding the ethical, health and moral dangers of doping. By positively promoting the value of fair play, and of engagement in sport for its own sake, physical education in schools can support the legislative and regulatory activities of WADA and governmental intervention, in the most positive way. Finally, ICSSPE and its member organisations are committed to support every effort to coordinate and disseminate research undertaken on all relevant fields of study, and work cooperatively with WADA for this purpose. Section 2, page 2. Final communiqué, of the Round Table of Ministers and Senior Officials Reponsible for Physical Education and Sport, Paris, 2003. participants committed themselves to: d) - Strengthen national programmes to combat doping and develop long-term strategies of information and education which engage all concerned stakeholders: students and athletes, parents and teachers, sports officials, doctors, and the media; and promote international cooperation and assistance to this end. Extend the efforts against doping into recreational and non-competitive areas of sporting activity. - Encourage Member States to attend the World Anti-Doping Agency's Conference in Copenhagen and support the development of a Global Anti-doping Code, as well as the efforts made by sports movements to develop anti-doping programmes, making use of the decisions made by the International Intergovernmental Consultative Group on Anti-doping and Sport (IICGADS) in Moscow. - Work to broaden the number of States Parties to the Council of Europe's Convention against doping - At the same time, accelerate the preparation of an International Convention against doping based on the Council of Europe's Convention against doping and request UNESCO, in cooperation with the United Nations Organization, other competent UN system agencies and the Council of Europe, in close collaboration with other concerned bodies such as the International Olympic Committee, the World Anti-Doping Agency and IICGADS, to coordinate the preparation, if possible before the Summer Olympic Games of 2004, and the adoption, if possible before the Winter Olympic Games of 2006, of a universal international instrument for this purpose. The final press release on the results which also includes the full text of the final communiqué of the Round-Table can be found on the UNESCO website,at: http://www.unesco.org/bpi/eng/unescopress/2003/03-02e.shtml http://www.icsspe.org/portal/texte/area/bulletin/ UNESCO Round Table of Ministers of Physical Education and Sport ICSSPE Executive Office