Welcome to the 9th Edition of the Peace and Sport International Forum!

This year over 500 leading figures from the worlds of sport, politics, academia, the private sector and civil society will convene over three days to focus on how sport can help to foster sustainable peace and forge agents of change committed to act for a better, fairer and more united world.

Focused on the theme Game on For Peace: Mobilizing Global Change through Sport, this year’s Forum comes at a time when the world as a whole has been getting incrementally less peaceful: widespread violence and extremist activities are threatening to undermine global stability in all echelons of society, with the most innocent sectors often the hardest hit. At the same time, geopolitical tensions on a massive scale are generating forced migration and displacement of people in and out of countries. In this context, human security is a growing concern, closely linked to rising social inequality, discrimination and exclusion.

Against this backdrop, this year’s program aims to mobilize action, to use sport as a catalyst in strengthening social ties and networks, and to promote ideals of peace, non-violence, tolerance and justice. Sport is a powerful and proven peace-building tool. The positive results generated by the peace through sport movement demonstrate that sport can make a valuable contribution to inspire and motivate the global community to act for peace.

In this respect, the 2016 Forum will take a hard look at what is working, what is possible, and what important actions are needed, taking five starter themes to initiate debate: i) Sports Diplomacy, ii) Sport Legacy, iii) Gender Equity in Sport, iv) Social Integration of Refugees, and v) Peace through Sport in the Digital Era. By exploring practical examples based on these five key issues, delegates will be inspired to initiate longstanding partnerships, find better ways to take collective action, and to lead by example.

Peace is a dynamic social phenomenon built on a daily basis that necessitates a process of building, involving and taking concrete actions that will create the conditions for a just and peaceful world. We invite you all to join us and to team-up for peace!