Today we celebrate International Day of Sport for Development and Peace
The United Nations declared April 6th as an International Day of Sport for Development and Peace to honour the contribution of sports and physical activity, related to the following domains: education, human development, a peaceful world and a healthy lifestyle.
Scoring for People and the Planet
The International Day of Sport for Development and Peace (IDSDP), which takes place annually on 6 April, presents an opportunity to recognize the positive role sport and physical activity play in communities and in people’s lives across the globe. Sport has the power to change the world – it is a fundamental right and a powerful tool to strengthen social ties and promote sustainable development and peace, as well as solidarity and respect for all.
The global theme for the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace 2023 is “Scoring for People and the Planet”. As in previous years, this overarching theme allows for IDSDP activities to broadly focus on the impact and influence of sport on sustainable development and peace. From empowering women and girls, young people, persons with disabilities, and other marginalized groups to advance health, sustainability, and education objectives, sport offers tremendous potential for advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and for promoting peace and human rights.
The United Nations has long recognized the power and universality of sport, using it to unite individuals and groups through supporting sport for development efforts, participating in events from the global to the grassroots level, and developing its own sports-related campaigns and initiatives.
To mark the 10th anniversary of the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace (IDSDP), this year’s event at UN Headquarters in New York recognizes the role of sport in addressing climate change, promoting gender equality, and tackling racism. The link can be found below:
EFDN Programmes
The Walking Football League
The Walking Football League aims to deliver health-enhancing physical activity to people over the age of 50 years old, as well as provide opportunities to increase social inclusion levels allowing them to lead a physically and socially active lifestyle in their European community. The Walking Football League will further develop Walking Football as a sustainable sport in Europe and raise the profile of the game.
Welcome Through Football
The Welcome Through Football 2021 project, initiated by EFDN, aims to assist in the integration and inclusion of recently arrived young refugees, asylum seekers and young people with a migrant background. EFDN and partners will develop and test a European methodology that uses football as a tool to reach refugees and migrants from different ages (7-25 years old) to get them physically and social active in European communities.
Current projects across Europe receive funding from the Eramus+ programme of the European Union and the UEFA Foundation for Children. Moreover, the project assists football coaches and youth workers in the development and sharing of effective methods in reaching out to the marginalised target group, in preventing racism and intolerance.
ACTIVU
The Activate Healthy Lifestyle through Counselling for You (ActivU) project addresses the topic of encouraging participation in physical activity (PA), supporting the implementation of the Council Recommendation on health-enhancing PA, following EU Guidelines. The ActivU project aims to increase awareness and behavioural change in former active citizens with and without disabilities toward a healthy active lifestyle through the enrichment of counselling and also prescription procedures to enhance the effective use of physical activity and other health-related behaviours.
Football Works
Football brings people and organisations together and has a social power that can inspire people to take positive steps in their own development. The football clubs can play an important role in this by offering social internships and work guidance programmes. It also offers vulnerable people a social safety net and makes them feel part of the society again. ‘Werk via Sport DJI’ and EFDN acknowledge that football can be very important for detainees to successfully return to society after their detention, thereby reducing nuisance, crime and insecurity.
Football for Unity
In 2018, the EU was home to 22.3 million third-country nationals accounting for 4.4% of the total population. Factors such as cultural differences, language barriers and social stigma can make it particularly challenging for these young people to integrate into their new societies. The increase in migratory flows has reinforced the need to promote active participation of third-country national youth in all aspects of community and societal life. At the same time, members of host communities in Europe need a deeper understanding of the diversity that exists across the continent.
The project brings together third-country nationals and young people from host communities in Europe to participate in a series of forums and football for inclusion tournaments that will demonstrate football’s unique position to promote equality and social inclusion as European values.
Football for Peace: initiatives for Ukraine
As part of the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace, an EFDN member was involved in supporting Ukraine by collecting power generators.
EFDN Members and their posts related to the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace
Aris Limassol FC Social, Environmental, and Health Initiatives
