Foundations

Global

Sport for Development and Peace International Working Group (SDP IWG)

SDP IWG aims to highlight the vital contribution that the sport and physical education can make in the achievement of the MDGs. It seeks to build a lasting legacy of the International Year for Sport and Physical Education 2005; to secure the place of sport o the political and development agendas worldwide; to contribute to systematically mainstreaming sport into existing programme activities through a set of recommendations; and, to facilitate the inclusion of sport for development and peace into the national programmes and priorities. UNDP serves as the chair of SDP IWG.

Partnership with Right To Play

On 16 May 2005, UNDP and Right To Play entered into an agreement to collaborate in the following three priority areas: (1) organization and follow-up of the SDP IWG; (2) knowledge sharing and exchange in the area of sport for development with the objective to further promote the inclusion of sport for development in national development programmes and policies; and, (3) exploration of future areas of cooperation in the area of sport for development.

Teams to End Poverty

Teams to End Poverty is a global communications and partnership campaign designed to involve the general public in anti-poverty actions and generate support for achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). In addition to Ronaldo and Zinedine Zidane, over 50 celebrities from the world of sport, arts, and media, such as Martina Hingis, Sergei Bubka, and Jacques Villeneuve, have already contributed to the campaign through their involvement in the specific anti-poverty projects around in the world. Most recently, Ronaldo and Zidane, contributed $120,000 for education and health initiatives in the Haitian shantytown of Cite Soleil. The campaign is also supported by a number of sport organizations, including FIFA, IOC, and sport companies such as Adidas and Nike, among others.

Africa

Burundi

In collaboration with the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the local authorities, UNDP Burundi supported a project aimed at facilitating inter-ethnic tolerance and understanding through sport. The project was designed to encourage regular and friendly contact among youth of diverse backgrounds through encouraging participation in sport activities and competitions, and accompanying development projects. About 13,500 children from different ethnic groups and background took part in a number of traditional and popular sport activities in the capital and six provinces.

Cameroon

As a part of the initiative organized by the UN, the Ministry of Sport, and the Cameroon Football Federation, youth volunteers participated in an awareness-raising initiative aimed to promote the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The volunteers distributed 42,000 pocket calendars outlining the MDGs at the soccer match between Cameroon and Egypt held in Yaounde as a part of the 2006 World Cup qualification series. In addition, two MDGs banners were displayed in the stadium during the match.

Arab States

Morocco

In partnership with the Moroccan Royal Golf Federation, Geneva High School of Health (HEDS), and the Swiss Federation PluSport – Sport Handicap Suisse, UNDP Morocco organized a golf tournament, in support of the “Hanane” (association for handicapped children). This initiative was implemented with the “Agenda 21” action plan for sustainable development.

UNDP Morocco also partnered with the M.J.I.D. Foundation to establish two “Wake-up and Listen” sport centers in the Nassim and Sidi Moument districts of Casablanca to provide youth from disadvantaged social environments with training and awareness-raising activities, including vocation and skills training. In addition, the project entailed provision of a 40-day training course for athletic coaches and social workers on the new approaches to physical education. As a part of the course, the participants were informed on the ways in which sport and physical education relate to the MDGs, and in particular to issues such as environmental conservation, education, drugs, and HIV/AIDS.

As a part of another initiative, and within the context of the International Year of Sport and Physical Education 2005 (IYSPE 2005), UNDP partnered with the Women for Sport and Culture Association and the local authorities in mobilizing more than 3000 young rural children and youth to participate in organized neighborhood athletic events.

Tunisia

The Government of Tunisia with the support of UNDP organized an international conference titled “Sport and Health” aimed at highlighting the IYSPE 2005. Participants discussed a wide variety of issues in the areas of health, ethics, and quality of life. The conference resulted in the development of the International Code of Good Conduct on Sport and Health.

Occupied Palestinian Territories

In his capacity as the UNDP Goodwill Ambassador, Ronaldo visited the West Bank city of Ramallah for a first-hand at UNDP’s youth and anti-poverty projects in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. During his visit, Ronaldo participated in UNDP’s “Football Workshops” and inaugurated the new Center for Disadvantage Youth and Educational and Vocational Training. The center will play and integral role in empowering the local youth to develop into productive members of the society.

Asia and the Pacific

Indonesia

As a part of the Emergency Response and Transitional Recovery (ERTR) programme for the tsunami-affected regions, UNDP Indonesia is collaborating with the local government on programmes aimed at rehabilitating athletic facilities in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam (NAD) in an effort to rebuild crucial community and social structures. The following activities are planned across 12 tsunami-affected districts in NAD: provision of computers and other office equipment for the local Dispora office (the Indonesian Government Department for sport and youth), which was badly affected by the tsunami; rehabilitation of the soccer fields and volleyball courts through cash-for-work programmes; and procurement and distribution of approximately 10,000 pieces of sporting equipment (such as footballs, volleyballs, nets, rackets, etc.).

Nepal

On the occasion of the 2004 International Day for Eradication of Poverty, UNDP Nepal partnered with the Nepal Sports Council in a two-day event in Biratnagar to raise awareness about the MDGs and the fight against HIV/AIDS. The activities included planting of 1000 tree sapling by the local residents, who were accompanies by the takewondo, wushu, and karate players; a football match between the Nepal Sports Council and the Police Team in the Police Training Center; and, a workshop on HIV/AIDS for the local and regional-level athletes.

Timor-Leste

Through UNDP Timor-Leste, Adidas Asia-Pacific contributed 2,490 pairs of professional soccer shoes to the Timor-Leste National Football Federation in support of sport activities and development in the country.

Europe and the CIS

Albania

UN agencies, including UNDP, ILO, UNFPA, UNICEF, UN Volunteers, and the Office of the UN Resident Coordinator joined the Albanian Ministry of Education and Sciences, Ministry of Youth and Sports, and the National Olympic Committee to launch the Joint UN Youth and Sport for Development initiative in Tirana. The initiative aims to promote healthy lifestyles through physical education; assess school sport facilities; demonstrate cost-effective ways to use sport to help urban youth avoid alcohol and drug abuse; provide life skills training for marginalized and disadvantaged youth; and, provide training for teachers, health care and social workers who work with youth.

Bulgaria

In collaboration with the Bulgarian Ministry of Youth and Sport, UNDP sponsored “I Want to Be” project, aimed at promoting ethnic tolerance through sport and fair play. Six junior league football teams and players from different ethnic backgrounds in the districts of Yambol and Liven participated in a variety of athletic activities aimed at facilitating a culture of social integration and ethnic tolerance.

In April 2005, UNDP launched the School Basketball League aimed at reviving school sports and encouraging youth participation in achieving the MDGs. In addition to the Ministry of Youth and Sport, this project was supported by the Sofia Municipality, the Bulgarian Basketball Federation, Spalding, AND 1, Samsung, Nintendo, and Virgin Records.

In another initiative, UNDP partnered with the Bulgarian Special Olympics Team to implement a project entitled “Get Involved”. The aim of the project was to promote sport as a mechanism for social integration for people with disabilities. Special Olympics Europe, Coca Cola Bulgaria, the Johan Kreuf Foundation, the Union of European Football Associations, the Amateur Football League, and the Prosport Foundation supported this project.

Russian Federation

The UN office in Ukraine partnered with Johnson&Johnson, Pfizer, and Transatlantic Partners against AIDS, to organize a charity marathon in Moscow for children living with HIV/AIDS. This initiative was implemented within the framework of UNDP "Leadership in Action - For a Russia without AIDS" project. The marathon was a family event, aimed at drawing public attention to the problem of HIV/AIDS in Russia in general and to the children living with the disease, in particular. The race also helped collect funds to organize summer vacations for children living with HIV/AIDS.

Latin America and the Caribbean

Chile

Since June 2004, UNDP Chile has been active in promoting sport as a mechanism to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, through their Sport for Development and Peace Programme. The goals of the programme are to: enforce and implement the recommendations given by the Inter-Agency Task Force on Sport for Development and Peace; promote the Millennium Development Goals; promote sport as means of global development, through partnerships with civil society organizations and other UN agencies; promote sport as means of social mobilization on the local and national level; use sport activities to demonstrate alternatives to drugs and crime; and to promote sport activities as means of social integration, conflict-prevention, and tolerance.

A number of activities have already been implemented, such as the Seminar on Sport and Development, done in partnership with the Olympic Committee of Chile; and the Pro Tour Open 2005, a global competition in table tennis, done in collaboration with the Chilean Federation of Table Tennis. In addition, UNDP Chile has successfully signed a number of agreements with sport institutions (INAF, ANFP, and COCH among others) and municipalities across the country to collaborate on future programming activity in the field of sport for development and peace.

Dominican Republic

In response to the devastating floods that struck the impoverished community of Jimani, Dominican Republic in May 2004; the Boston Red Sox Foundation and the Toronto Blue Jays contributed funds to UNDP's reconstruction efforts in the region. The funds, donated to UNDP through the U.S. Committee for UNDP, have been used to build 50 new homes in Jimani. The new structures have been reinforced by concrete roofs and foundations to increase their resistance to future natural disasters.

El Salvador

UNDP El Salvador signed a one-year agreement with the El Salvador Olympic Committee (COES) to promote sport and to raise awareness about the Millennium Development Goals. The primary objective of the agreement is to contribute to promotion of sport and physical education as mechanisms to achieve the MDGs through the COES’ Education and Sport Programme and the Salvadoran Olympic Academy (AOS). Five members of the national Olympic team will be serving as Sport Ambassadors for MDGs to support this initiative.