Sport for One Humanity initiative

*Deadline extended till 6 June 2022!

The universality of sport and its unifying power have been recognized as powerful tools to promote peace, tolerance and understanding. The 2030 Agenda for sustainable development, adopted in 2015, explicitly stressed the ‘growing contribution of sport to the realization of development and peace.

Civil society organizations have for a long time recognized the potential of sport in peace and development by adopting the use of sport in fulfilling their objectives. They are necessary and central partners in advocacy, program development and delivery of sports-based initiatives at the community level whose impact trickles down to the national and global level. Therefore, it is important that the efforts of civil society organizations (CSOs) are supported to maintain and expand their contribution to peace and development as well as other Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through sport.

In this context, the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) is pleased to support the Sport for One Humanity initiative, established by Turkish Airlines. The main objective of the Sport for One Humanity initiative is to select and support innovative sports-based projects implemented by CSOs that promote a culture of peace, mutual understanding and cooperation among diverse communities and cultures around the world. The initiative will give priority to projects using and promoting sport as a tool for strengthening diversity and inclusiveness, education and empowerment of youth, empowerment of women and girls, inclusion of persons with disabilities and vulnerable groups and fostering peaceful and inclusive societies.

Objectives

The objectives of the Sport for One Humanity initiative are:

• To raise awareness on the power of sport as a tool to foster peaceful and inclusive societies
• To support organizations that use sport for development and peace in their respective communities by providing them with capacity building, mentoring, visibility and sustainability
• To identify best practices/lessons learned on how sport builds bridges between individuals and across communities, and how it helps to attain development and peace objectives

Themes and priorities

The call for applications invites not-for profit organizations, who are implementing a project relevant for the sport development and peace agenda. The initiative will support 10 not-for-profit organizations managing and implementing sports-based projects that combine sport with development and peace objectives to raise awareness, particularly, on the power of sport as a tool to promote intercultural dialogue, strengthen diversity and foster inclusive societies.

Indicative project activities that will be supported include:

• Community outreach, meetings, workshops and activities involving local sports associations, that are aimed at improving community participation
• Sports events and tournaments, bringing diverse groups of people together in unique ways and aiming to strengthen inclusion and peaceful coexistence within communities
• Educational activities, ranging from short-term awareness raising sessions to long-term trainings, exchanges of youth involved in sport from communities, including peer education in schools and communities
• Innovative sports-based life- skills training and learning activities for youth, women and girls that would also include peace education and gender equity objectives
• Sport based projects that enhance social inclusion and integration of persons with disabilities, ethnic minorities, migrants and vulnerable social groups
• Projects based on traditional sports and games that promote intercultural and intercommunity dialogue
• Awareness-raising activities related to sports that involve media and social-media campaigns, as well as video production and radio programs for advocacy purposes

Timeline

• Opening of the Call for Applications: 30 March 2022
• Closing of the Call for Applications: 6 June 2022 18:00 EDT (NYC)

Eligibility criteria

Applying organizations must:

• Be registered as a not-for-profit organization (civil society organizations including non-governmental organizations, community- based organizations, foundations, associations. trusts, charities) with recognized legal status in the country where activities are implemented
• Have been operational for a minimum period of one year on the date of application
• Manage a project relevant for the sport for development and peace agenda
• Be directly responsible for the implementation of the proposed activities

Submitted projects must:

• Contribute to promoting intercultural dialogue, strengthening diversity and fostering inclusive societies through sport
• Have sufficient funding and resources for successful implementation of all activities
• Be committed to diversity, equity and inclusion objectives when engaging with target groups
• Be led by a project coordinator, who is an employee of the applying organization from the start of the project

Application procedure

Applications must be submitted using the online forms in English via the dedicated web page. Paper and handwritten submissions are not accepted.

Applications must be complete and contain all the requested information and all required annexes and supporting documents. Only complete applications will be considered.

Applicants may be asked at a late stage to provide additional documents if information provided needs further clarification.

More information

To find out more about the initiative, eligibility criteria and application process, visit the Sport for One Humanity website.