To support and empower its international cooperation platform, Peace and Sport coordinates locally-based operations aimed at promoting the practice of sport within crisis-struck communities with the goal of building sustainable peace.

In addition to acting to raise awareness amongst international decision-makers about the role that sport can play to tackle social issues, Peace and Sport supports actors running projects the field to design and implement their projects intended for youngsters in vulnerable situations.

Peace and Sport intervenes in programs conceived as pilot projects. Designed to identify and test best practices in sport, they are also intended to be used as pilot projects which can be replicated in their country of origin or in other areas with similar problems. Each pilot project is therefore structured around a model for implementing developing and managing a program to ensure their deployment and sustainability.

Our objective: supporting stakeholders in the field

Peace and Sport’s goal is primarily to support project leaders, to assist them not only in analyzing and defining their needs, but also provide them with expertise, increasing local skill levels  through training and tools that ensure that projects are efficient and sustainable.

Peace and Sport intervenes at the request of local stakeholders: Governments, National Olympic Committees, NGOs, associations, National Sports Federations, etc.

Peace and Sport’s actions in the field aim to:

• Develop adapted sports practices

- Identify sports practices that are best suited to the specific nature of the local terrain and support their implementation with the assistance of International Federations: donating equipment, adapting or renovating infrastructures, setting up a professional environment...

- Develop and consolidate sports, political, financial, logistical and marketing partnerships, provide an interface between local and international actors involved, coordinate and facilitate their joint work,

• Improve local skill levels

- Use the skills of the sports movement and/or local associations, with the intention of transferring skills

- Assist project leaders to develop socio-educational activities to give vulnerable young people access to basic education and activities for social integration, helping them to reintegrate into the school system or into the workplace

- Monitor programs and evaluate their impact

- Guarantee traceability of funds and help the supported organization to increase its financial autonomy to ensure that programs are sustainable

• Help to give programs maximum visibility

- Communicate about the project and provide the marketing tools necessary to give high visibility to the various stakeholders involved

- Mobilize  athletes who belong the "Champions for Peace" club to promote programs of their choice

Peace and Sport mainly supports three types of action:

1 - Peace-building programs:

These long-term programs are part of national strategies aimed at encouraging youth integration (demobilized child soldiers, orphans, street children or school dropouts, disabled children ...).

Their mission is to provide guidance, help with social integration or reintegration into society and facilitate the education of these young people through sport.

For this, they may for example improve existing facilities, promote new sports practices adapted to local needs or give vulnerable young people access to basic education through sport on topics ranging from HIV-AIDS prevention to learning about citizenship and democracy.

2 - Peace-promotion programs

These programs consist of supporting recurring or one-off sporting events with a strong symbolic impact to promote dialogue and contemplation around the theme of peace through sport.

They are intended to reconcile divided communities around sport. They demonstrate the power of sport to restore balance in the lives of individuals and society, to promote respect for the rules of sport and citizenship and propagate the structuring values of sport. 

3 - Emergency aid through sport programs

These programs, implemented in areas that have been hit by natural or human disasters, aim to put sport and its values, its network, its solidarity, its reactivity and operational capacity at the service of those who are badly affected by emergency situations. Firstly, sport can help victims to evacuate trauma and accept disability.

In the short term, these programs foster social reconstruction.

In its role as a platform for operational coordination, Peace and Sport facilitates and coordinates the work of many different partners to support the organizers of local projects.

Each party contributes their skills and expertise in a collaborative framework.

• The overall local project manager.

The project manager defines needs, manages the project from day to day, and publicizes the project at a local level.

The project leader must respect Peace and Sport’s quality charter.

• The government

By making the project part of governmental policy, it is guaranteed recognition by local authorities; legislation and institutions can be adapted to accommodate the role that sport can play.

The government is responsible for identifying priorities for action which populations to target.

• International Sports Federations

International Sports Federations bring their expertise concerning the practice of their sport and give advice about how to best adapt it to the local environment. They provide training for educators, provide equipment or work with an equipment supplier and publicize the field program during their sporting events (championships, tournaments, demonstrations, introductions ...)

List of International Federations

• National Sports Federations

National Sports Federations undertake to structure the sport, giving coaches/educators access to all training courses offered by the International Federation, as well as giving children in programs the opportunity to participate in national competitions, either as spectators or as competitors.

They identify upcoming young talent, and ensure that each centre has a trainer/educator

• National Olympic Committees

NOCs get involved in teaching Olympic values and they help to train educators, bringing assistance to programs and governments through their technical expertise. In addition they organize or support dedicated sports events and provide equipment or involve an equipment supplier.

• Financial partners/sponsors

Funds collected to finance projects may be put towards renovating facilities, paying teachers’ salaries, facilitating the involvement of Champions of Peace or funding operating costs.

Partners ensure that programs are sustainable through transferring skills and/or outsourcing services and helping to promote the project via their own communication channels.

• Equipment suppliers

Equipment suppliers provide all or some of the equipment needed to run the program, make adapted sports kits and give visibility to programs in the context of their events.

• Champions for Peace

Elite partners for Locally-based Projects, Champions are the focal point of operations to promote the projects (launches, visits, events, publicity stunts) and they raise awareness amongst decision-makers and potential local and/or international partners by encouraging them to contribute to programs, raise funds and collect equipment donations by mobilizing their networks (fans, clubs, federations, etc.)

They also help in field programs by coaching educators, giving initiation sessions and using their expertise to define goals and resources for programs

More details about Champions for Peace

• The United Nations (UN)

The UN Office on Sport for Development and Peace (UNOSDP)

The UN Office for Partnerships (UNOP)

The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)

The UN Peace-keeping Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO)

The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF)

The World Food Program (WFP)

• Other partners

Other stakeholders are often involved in projects:

- Education Partners (Associations, Ministry of Education)

- Health partners (WHO, Red Cross, associations, NGOs, government agencies ...)

- Nutrition Partners (associations, NGOs ...)

- Marketing and logistics partners (courier companies, graphic designers...)