Iran celebrates the International Day of Sports for Development and Peace

Iran celebrated the International Day of Sports for Development and Peace with an event at the National Olympics Academy of Iran, in which many accomplished athletes and artists participated, AVA Diplomatic reports.

The event was jointly organized by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, the National Olympics Academy of Iran and the Iranian National Commission for UNESCO.

In his opening remarks, Dr. Nasiri, Secretary-General of the Iranian National Commission for UNESCO, talked about the role of the National Commission and the important efforts that have been made to promote quality physical education in the Islamic Republic of Iran.

H.E. Dr. Goudarzi, Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, and Ms. Esther Kuisch Laroche, Director and Representative of the UNESCO Tehran Cluster Office addressed the gathering as key note speakers.

“The International Day of Sport for Development and Peace offers us an opportunity to uphold the essential values of sharing, mutual respect and self-improvement that embody the spirit of sport”, said Ms. Kuisch Laroche. “Sport is a unique vehicle for promoting dignity, social inclusion, gender equality and youth empowerment, with benefits that are felt far beyond the stadiums. Indeed, the values acquired in and through sport – such as fair play, discipline and team spirit- are invaluable to the whole of society”.

In her remarks, the UNESCO Representative stressed the benefits of physical education on public health and mentioned that participation in quality physical education has been shown to decrease the changes of young people engaging in risk behavior and to impact positively on academic performance.

She also talked about the adoption by UNESCO Member States of the new International Charter of Physical Education and Sport in November 2015. “The revised charter highlights the health benefits of physical activity, the inclusion of persons with disabilities, the protection of children, the role of sport for development and peace, as well as the need to protect the integrity of sport from doping, violence, manipulation and corruption”, said Ms. Kuisch Laroche.

Dr. Goudarzi, Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, highlighted the important role of sport in reducing violence and promoting peace in society.

After his speech, the speakers proceeded with the unveiling of the Farsi translation of the new International Charter of Physical Education and Sport, as well as the Farsi translation of the Sustainable Development Goals.

About the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace

On 23 August 2013, the Sixty-seventh session of the United Nations General Assembly decided to proclaim 6 April as the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace.

The United Nations has been using sport and play as tools in development cooperation and humanitarian aid efforts for decades.

In recent years, UN bodies – along with non-governmental organizations (NGOs), governments, development agencies and sports organizations– have increasingly recognized and systematically harnessed the power of sport to achieve their objectives, particularly the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) adopted in 2000, and the new Sustainable Development Goals.

In the Declaration of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development sport’s role for social progress is further acknowledged: “Sport is also an important enabler of sustainable development. We recognize the growing contribution of sport to the realization of development and peace in its promotion of tolerance and respect and the contributions it makes to the empowerment of women and of young people, individuals and communities as well as to health, education and social inclusion objectives.”