Peace and Sport welcomes the 2020 United Nations Secretary-General report on Sport for Development and Peace, which encourages strengthening the development and implementation of national policies and approaches to maximize the input of sport for development and peace. Among the 60 contributions sent by Member States, UN agencies, and civil-society organizations, Peace and Sport ranks among the contributors with the highest number of projects (6) aligned with 4 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).

Produced in the context of the COVID-19 global pandemic, the report provides a target-oriented review of the impact of sport on the implementation of the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). It highlights the fundamental role of sport in minimizing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and encourages Member States to invest and exploit digital technologies, as they can be vectors for social change for peace and development.

In this context, the report cites Peace and Sport’s Methodology and the Peace and Sport x MyCoach Mobile App as examples of new and innovative initiatives, and it underlines the key advocacy role of the Champions for Peace. Through the Mobile App, sport can be applied anywhere in order to achieve peace goals, foster social inclusion and youth empowerment. The e-learning modules shape peace coaches who use the knowledge of sport as a tool. The Mobile App is currently tested in the Za’atari refugee camp in Jordan and in 22 schools in the Great Lakes region of Africa, with the precious involvement of Champions for Peace.

The report also refers to the Live Together program, led by Peace and Sport and implemented in partnership with UNHCR, Blumont, FITEQ, ITTFF and WAKO, as an initiative fostering peace and sustainable development for all through sport. The Live Together program provides development opportunities for refugees and addresses critical social issues such as marginalization and disengagement, psychosocial distress and exclusion, and isolation and rejection by the host society in the Za’atari refugee camp.

When the 2020 UN SG report was published, Joël Bouzou, President and Founder of Peace and Sport and World Champion, stated:

“Being one of the only civil-society organizations working in the field of sport for development and peace cited in the United Nations Secretary-General’s report is a great recognition. Since 2007, our Organization has been working globally with UN Agencies, sport organizations, governments and NGOs to achieve peace and development through sport. We are convinced that the peace-through-sport movement has a crucial role to play in the Decade of Action and the fulfilment of the 2030 Agenda. To adapt to the current challenges, our Organization has put social business, the digitalization of tools used by our partners in the field, the impact-assessment methods (M&E) and the growing involvement of the athletes at the heart of its actions.” 

Cédric Messina, CEO and Founder of MyCoach, explained:

“Our partnership with Peace and Sport is meaningful as we are both convinced that the power of sport and its values can help to build a peace culture. Seeing this beautiful project materialize is a source of great pride. Being cited as an example by the UN Secretary-General today is an incredible recognition and I hope it will enhance the development of this Mobile App across the world. We must valorize digitalization as a tremendous leverage for transmitting values and knowledge; this is what MyCoach does every day. This is our DNA.”

Peace and Sport fully endorses the recommendations of the Secretary-General: it is essential to come up with joint actions, to increase investment, to foster innovation and assess the contribution of sport-based initiatives for peace. We will continue along this path for years to come.

Find the complete report here: https://www.un.org/development/desa/dspd/wp-content/uploads/sites/22/2020/09/A75155-Sport-SG-report-ENG.pdf