The two-day International Forum on Sport for Peace and Development opened with a call from Wilfried Lemke, the UN Secretary-General's Special Adviser on Sport for Development and Peace, to use sport as a catalyst for achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
10 May 2011: The two-day International Forum on Sport for Peace and Development opened today in Geneva with a call from Wilfried Lemke, UN Secretary-General’s Special Adviser on Sport for Development and Peace, to use sport as a catalyst for achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
Lemke highlighted that working together through sport is a way of making the world a more equitable, safe and sustainable place.
Participants include representatives from the world of sport, the UN, national governments, expert organisations and universities. Among the high-level speakers are UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, President of Hungary and IOC Member Pál Schmitt, UK Minister for Sport and the Olympic Games Hugh Robertson, President of the International Equestrian Federation HRH Princess Haya Al Hussein, President of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games Organizing Committee Carlos Nuzman, and Director of the Geneva Centre for Security Policy Fred Tanner.
The forum includes sessions on how sport can be integrated into the work of UN peacekeeping missions, serve as an example for conflict resolution and promote high-standard physical education for all children, among other issues. [UN News] [International Platform on Sports and Development News] [Statement of Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon]