United Nations declares 6 April as International Day of Sport for Development and Peace

New York:

In a consensus action on Friday, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution proclaiming 6 April the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace.

By its terms, the Assembly invited States, the United Nations System, relevant international organizations, civil society, international, regional and national sports organizations, as well as all other relevant stakeholders, to observe and raise awareness of the International Day.

Further by the text, the Assembly stressed that the costs of all activities arising from the resolution’s implementation must be met from voluntary contributions, subject to the availability and provision of voluntary contributions for that purpose.

Vuk Jeremić ( Serbia), President of the General Assembly, described the resolution as “historic”, emphasizing that the significance of sport in improving an individual’s character and a society’s welfare could be traced back to the dawn of civilization.  The Greeks had placed sport at the very centre of their identity by establishing the Olympics Games some two and a half millennia ago, he said, adding that war was forbidden during competition so that athletes and spectators could travel safely to watch the events.

Indeed, the most important thing in the Olympics was not winning but taking part and contesting well and nobly, he continued.  In many ways, sport embodied humanity’s most valiant characteristics as it required perseverance, discipline, fair play, and honourable competition.  Across the globe today, sports programmes had been used to deliver HIV/AIDS prevention messages, promote child and maternal health and further gender equality, he said, adding that today’s resolution built on those initiatives by recognizing sport as a unique way to attract, mobilize and inspire people around the world.  Sport could also serve as a tool for development, he said, expressing hope that its inherent values would help in defining the post-2015 development agenda.

He went on to pay tribute to the great athletes of the past, whose achievements, character and moral fortitude had earned them a place of distinction.  More specifically, Jesse Owens had defied fascist ideology with his victories at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, he said as he also expressed deep admiration for the para-athletes who defied disabilities and defeated negative stereotypes through sport.  It was a powerful tool for peace and reconciliation which caused ethnic, religious and economic divisions to fall by the wayside, alongside prejudice, fear and misunderstanding, he stressed.  “The stadium, the swimming pool, the dusty local pitch — such sites are transformed into places where greatness is within reach for all, where purity of endeavour is on full display, and where any individual’s abilities can be seen and admired without reservation.”