UN Special Adviser welcomes IOC's Observer Status at the UN
- 21 October 2009 |
- Antoine Tardy
W. Lemke, Special Adviser to the UN Secretary-General on Sport for Development and Peace; M. Pescante, IOC Vice-President; B. Ki-moon, UN Secretary-General; T. Sithole, IOC Director of International Cooperation and Development; C. De Kepper, IOC Chief of Staff.
IOC’s obtaining observer status at the General Assembly is a great step forward in the already excellent relations between the UN and IOC families, which were recently strengthened with the key note speech of
the UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, at the 13th Olympic Congress in Copenhagen. The observer status allows the IOC to take the floor at the UN General Assembly, and participate in consultation meetings. However, the IOC will not be able to vote. The landmark development has been welcomed by Mr. Lemke, who declared that “this shows how important the IOC is to the UN network.” “We look forward to further developing the close relations between UNOSDP, the whole UN family and the IOC, based on our common value set”, he added.
Furthermore, the UN General Assembly adopted the Olympic Truce Resolution regarding the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games. The Olympic Truce Resolution offers the UN Member States the opportunity to promote peace during the duration of the Games. In line with the tradition, the host country, in the present case Canada, introduced the resolution, which received wide co-sponsorship among Member States. The document also mentions the first ever Youth Olympic Games to be held in Singapore in August 2010.
In conjunction with the adoption of the resolution was organized yesterday a ceremonial event at UN Headquarters, where Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon unveiled a contemporary aboriginal art piece symbolizing peace. “The Olympic Games will have one clear winner: our world as a whole,” he declared. The sculpture will stay at the UN for a month before being moved to the Olympic village in Vancouver. The event included the send-off of the Olympic Torch.
Acknowledging the notable event of the hosting of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa – which for the first time in the history of the mega-sports event will take place on African soil – the General Assembly also adopted on Monday a resolution urging the international community to harness the World Cup for the development of the whole African continent. Today, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and his Special Adviser Lemke met with Dr. Danny Jordaan, CEO of the 2010 FIFA World Cup Organizing Committee, who personally extended them an invitation to attend the event next year.
the UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, at the 13th Olympic Congress in Copenhagen. The observer status allows the IOC to take the floor at the UN General Assembly, and participate in consultation meetings. However, the IOC will not be able to vote. The landmark development has been welcomed by Mr. Lemke, who declared that “this shows how important the IOC is to the UN network.” “We look forward to further developing the close relations between UNOSDP, the whole UN family and the IOC, based on our common value set”, he added.
Furthermore, the UN General Assembly adopted the Olympic Truce Resolution regarding the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games. The Olympic Truce Resolution offers the UN Member States the opportunity to promote peace during the duration of the Games. In line with the tradition, the host country, in the present case Canada, introduced the resolution, which received wide co-sponsorship among Member States. The document also mentions the first ever Youth Olympic Games to be held in Singapore in August 2010.
In conjunction with the adoption of the resolution was organized yesterday a ceremonial event at UN Headquarters, where Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon unveiled a contemporary aboriginal art piece symbolizing peace. “The Olympic Games will have one clear winner: our world as a whole,” he declared. The sculpture will stay at the UN for a month before being moved to the Olympic village in Vancouver. The event included the send-off of the Olympic Torch.
Acknowledging the notable event of the hosting of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa – which for the first time in the history of the mega-sports event will take place on African soil – the General Assembly also adopted on Monday a resolution urging the international community to harness the World Cup for the development of the whole African continent. Today, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and his Special Adviser Lemke met with Dr. Danny Jordaan, CEO of the 2010 FIFA World Cup Organizing Committee, who personally extended them an invitation to attend the event next year.
Peace!