| dc.description.abstract | The Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Sport for Development and Peace hereby presents the report on the International Year of Sport and Physical Education to the United Nations Secretary-General. The General Assembly in resolution 58/5 of 3 November 2003, entitled “Sport as a means to promote education, health, development and peace”, recognized the positive values of sport and physical education and proclaimed the year 2005 as the International Year of Sport and Physical Education. The International Year has clearly affirmed that sport and physical education in their broadest sense are essential components of the world’s efforts to achieve the internationally agreed development goals, including the Millennium Development Goals. Sport and physical education offer a number of innovative approaches for achieving sustainable development, in combination with existing efforts, to accomplish specific targets such as those concerning poverty reduction, education, gender equality, and HIV/AIDS.
The present report describes just some of the international, regional and thousands of local projects initiated during the International Year, concretely establishing sport and physical education as tools for education, health, development and peace. 70 countries identified multi-stakeholder national committees or national focal points to plan, coordinate and implement national observance of the Year; in addition, 52 other countries reported on commemorative activities without having officially appointed such a national focal point; over 20 international and 18 regional conferences were held within the framework of the International Year; and thousands of initiatives have strengthened the role of sport and physical education as an integral dimension of the development and cooperation strategies of all stakeholders including sports organizations, athletes, multilateral organizations and the United Nations system, bilateral development agencies, Governments across all sectors, the armed forces, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), the private sector and sports industry, research institutions and the media.
The United Nations has proved it has the ability to help Governments and communities harness the positive aspects of sport and channel them in a coordinated way. The Year illustrated the role of sport and physical education for a quality education with mandatory physical education recognized in a number of countries as a universal pillar to foster education, health and personal development. Sport and physical education have been recognized for the important role they play in improving public health; and sport as a universal language has been found to bridge social, religious, racial and gender divides, hence contributing to lasting peace.
The report documents resources invested, initiatives launched, research undertaken, and activities by millions of individuals who participated in events relating to the International Year which demonstrated that sport is a vital tool to make a better world. | en_US |
