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Sport driving force for positive social change, UN chief

Xinhua, April 7, 2016 Adjust font size:

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday said that sport is a unique and powerful tool for promoting dignity and the equal and inalienable rights of every member of the human family.

Ban made the statement in his message for the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace, which is observed annually on April 6.

"Sport is a unique and powerful tool for promoting dignity and the equal and inalienable rights of every member of the human family," he said. "It is a driving force for positive social change."

Sport promotes health and well-being, fosters tolerance, mutual understanding and peace, and contributes to social inclusion and equality, he said, adding that it empowers women and girls and persons with disabilities, and is a vital part of quality education in schools.

"It empowers, inspires and unites," he said.

The secretary-general urged governments, organizations, businesses, and all actors in society to harness the values and power of sport to support the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), approved by world leaders in September last year to serve as the blueprint for the global development efforts for the next 15 years.

"By working -- and playing -- together, we can create the future we want," Ban said.

In her message, Irina Bokova, the director-general of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), said that the history of sport has shown its power to break down prejudices, to pave the way for and promote the movements striving for the rights and dignity of individuals, giving them a global audience.

"Sport is a powerful vehicle for social inclusion, gender equality and youth empowerment, with benefits that are felt far beyond the stadiums," she said.

Due to its vast reach, unparalleled popularity and foundation of positive values, sport is ideally positioned to contribute towards the United Nations' objectives for development and peace.

To raise awareness of this potential, April 6 was declared as the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace by the UN General Assembly in August 2013. The adoption of this Day signifies the increasing recognition by the United Nations of the positive influence that sport can have on the advancement of human rights, and social and economic development. Endit