United Nations, Sept 18: A United Nations task force has called for sports to be given a greater role in promoting development and peace worldwide. A report by the UN task force on sport and development urges governments, nongovernment organizations and sports federations to use sports as a tool to bridge differences and develop economies.
"It first of all makes a very strong advocacy for the idea that sport is a practical and a cost-effective vehicle to assist the un system in proceeding forward to achieve the millennium goals," said Carol Bellamy, executive director of the United Nations Children's Fund who co-chairs the task force, yesterday.
Those goals set specific targets for 2015 including cutting in half the number of people living in extreme poverty, ensuring that all children have an elementary school education, providing all people access to clean water, and halting and reversing the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

In spite of the positive benefits of sports, the report said physical education has been marginalized in at least 126 countries "where it is often seen as non-productive, non-intellectual and therefore a non-essential component of education."



The report is based on the recommendations adopted by an international conference on sport and development held in Switzerland in February to mobilize governments, UN agencies, sports federations, the sporting goods industry, and people and organizations around the globe to work together to promote development through sports.


Bureau Report