The ninth World Conference on Sport and the Environment, hosted by the International Olympic Committee and the National Olympic Committee of Qatar, in partnership with UNEP, adopted a “Doha Declaration” defining three focus areas in which to direct activities related to the economic, social and environmental aspects of sustainable development in sport.
2 May 2011: The ninth World Conference on Sport and the Environment (WCSE) took place in Doha, Qatar, from 30 April-2 May 2011. Hosted by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the National Olympic Committee (NOC) of Qatar, in partnership with the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), the event concluded with participants framing an agenda for action on the environment and sustainable development.
Participants included representatives of National Olympic Committees, International Federations, Organising Committees for the Olympic Games, governmental and non-governmental environmental organisations and educational institutions. They discussed a range of environment-related topics, including ways to locally and globally implement the Olympic Movement’s “Agenda 21.”
Jacques Rogge, IOC President, highlighted the importance of a green agenda and of ensuring environmental sustainability in sport. Achim Steiner, UNEP Executive Director, stressed that sport has the power to enlist global public support, and said that the Government of Brazil, which will host the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD, or Rio+20), has recognized the virtue in linking Rio+20 with the two major sporting events Brazil is also hosting – the FIFA World Cup in 2014 and the Olympics in 2016.
The WCSE adopted a “Doha Declaration” defining three focus areas in which to direct activities related to the economic, social and environmental aspects of sustainable development in sport. They are: showcasing the contribution of the sports movement to sustainable development at next year’s UNCSD; engaging young people; and building and strengthening partnerships between the sports world and the UN, governments, local entities, NGOs and others. [WCSE News]