POSTED: Wednesday October 19th 2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Peace and Sport joins forces with UNESCO

Paris, 19 October - UNESCO and 'Peace and Sport L'Organisation pour la Paix par le Sport' today signed a groundbreaking Partnership Agreement at the 7th UNESCO Youth Forum, which is being held from 17 to 20 October at UNESCO Headquarters.

The objective of this partnership is to promote the role of sport as a vehicle for peace, particularly in Africa in areas affected by armed conflict or natural disaster, by strengthening cooperation between Peace and Sport, whose mission is to put sport at the service of peace in vulnerable areas of the planet, and UNESCO, which promotes a culture of non-violence through sport.

The first actions undertaken as part of this partnership will be: to define an emergency response plan for post-conflict and post-disaster situations, using sport as a tool for social integration, mental resilience and overcoming trauma; to develop social entrepreneurship through sport; to manage an online database of best practices in peace through sport that can be duplicated by actors in the field (NGOs and associations); to monitor the impact of projects in order to improve effectiveness in the field; to set up a system for following the progress of recommendations made during international conferences on sport, peace and development, so that they are consistent and actions of various stakeholders are coordinated.

Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO, said: "Sport is a great way to educate youth about their role within the community, especially regarding human rights, democracy and gender equality. UNESCO already supports many initiatives that use the social dimension of sport. I am delighted to sign this partnership with Peace and Sport today, which will allow us to broaden this initiative."

"We share the same belief as UNESCO, that young people living in unstable conditions should not just be considered as beneficiaries of social welfare projects" Joel Bouzou, President and Founder of Peace and Sport added. "They must be respected co-owners and fully participate in decision-making processes that shape their future. Sport is a great way to help them achieve greater autonomy and responsibility. We are working with UNESCO with this in mind to provide these young people with more opportunities to become actors for sustainable peace."

To carry out their mission, Peace and Sport and UNESCO will particularly rely on the expertise of the Intergovernmental Committee for Physical Education and Sport (CIGEPS).

Made up of representatives from 18 UNESCO Member States, all experts in the field of physical education and Sport, CIGEPS was founded in 1978 to develop the role and value of sport and encourage it to be considered in public policy-making.
For more information, please contact

Peace and Sport - Valerie Amant
Tel:        +33 (0)6 83 37 66 21    
Email: press@peace-sport.org
http://www.peace-sport.org
UNESCO - Sue Williams
Tel:        +33 (0)1 45 68 17 06    
Email: s.williams@unesco.org
http://www.unesco.org

NOTE TO EDITORS
About UNESCO

UNESCO's mission is to contribute to peace-building, poverty alleviation, sustainable development and intercultural dialogue through education, science, culture, communication and information. The organization is particularly focused on two global priorities: Africa and gender equality.

Since 1952, UNESCO has been the specialized agency of the United Nations System for Physical Education and Sport. The organization promotes sports among Member States as a powerful tool to strengthen social networks, at the service of peace and development. In particular, in 1978, the International Charter of Physical Education and Sport was drawn up, which states that the practice of physical education and sport is a fundamental right for all, and it remains a reference document for policy makers, academic bodies and civil society actors.

ABOUT PEACE AND SPORT

"Peace and Sport, L'Organisation pour la Paix par le Sport" is an international, neutral and apolitical initiative under the High Patronage of H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco.

Peace and Sport puts sport and its values at the heart of local development projects conducted within communities in crisis around the world. Exercising its missions in post-conflict zones, areas of extreme poverty or lacking social cohesion, Peace and Sport makes sport a vehicle for tolerance, respect, sharing and citizenship at the service of sustainable peace.

Supported by governments, world sport governing bodies, international organizations, major international private companies and international sports champions, Peace and Sport creates synergies between different stakeholders to carry out four types of action:
-      Organizing an annual International Forum (next edition in Monaco from 26-28 October 2011)
-      A platform for cooperation and networking around peace and sport
-      The Peace and Sport Awards, to reward individuals and initiatives contributing to peace
-      Locally-Based Projects; concrete actions in different regions of crisis in the world.
Today, Peace and Sport has operations in Cote d'Ivoire, Burundi, Israel-Palestine, Timor Leste, Colombia and in Haiti.
Peace and Sport was founded by Joel Bouzou, current President of the organisation. Joel Bouzou is an Olympic medallist, world champion of Modern Pentathlon and current Secretary General for the International Union of Modern Pentathlon (UIPM). He is also Advisor to H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco.

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Keywords · Peace and sport · UNESCO · Joel Bouzou · Irina Bokova

Name: Caroline Duboc
Organization: Peace and Sport
Email:
Phone: 79298543597
URL: http://www.peace-sport.org/home.htm

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