UN – 10th International Day of Sport

Journée internationale du sport - 6 avril 2023

In New York, on 5 and 6 April, the Permanent Mission of Monaco to the UN joined forces with Peace & Sport to mark the 10^th anniversary of International Day of Sport for Development and Peace. It was H.E. Ms Isabelle Picco who tabled the resolution before the UN General Assembly proclaiming this International Day on behalf of 69 delegations, in 2013.

Moroccan NGO TIBU Africa, local partner of Peace & Sport, presented its activities in the presence of Ambassadors from Qatar and Morocco, along with other partners. Its programme, which uses the power of sport to help girls and women build their independence and find professional careers, was a particularly relevant example of the importance of this International Day.

At an event organised by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, H.E. Ms Isabelle Picco highlighted the connection between sport and the environmental aspect of sustainable development.  The President and Founder of Peace & Sport, Joël Bouzou, gave the closing remarks.

At the UN, Didier Drogba, the former international footballer and current Vice-President of Peace & Sport, and Javier Zanetti, Vice-President of Inter Milan football club, both spoke about their experience as top-level athletes and what sport had done for them, not just in their careers, but in terms of their personal development.  A succession of panels looked at the issues surrounding the protection of athletes, gender equality in sport, social inclusion, and climate action.

Concluding this celebration, H.E. Ms Isabelle Picco emphasised the importance of civil society initiatives and the International Olympic Committee’s motto “Faster, Higher, Stronger - Together.”