sportanddev to launch online section on sport and refugees

According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), 79.5 Million were forcibly displaced at the end of 2019. The figure, which has increased a lot in recent years, includes refugees, asylum seekers and internally displaced persons (IDPs).

Policymakers, academics and practitioners have been grappling with innovative ways to help improve the lives of refugees in camps, settlements and urban areas, while also supporting members of their host communities. The emergence of sport as tool has been well received. Article 44 of the Global Compact on Refugees (GCR) – adopted in 2018 – recognised the role of sport in refugees’ lives. The last few years have seen an exponential increase in sports-based programming with and for refugees across the globe.

In host countries and communities, sport is increasingly recognised as a tool for assisting with local integration and social inclusion. At the same time, there is an emphasis on sport as a medium for education for young people in general, with life skills woven into fun sport sessions. As we recognise the growth of the movement around sport and refugees, UNHCR and sportanddev have partnered to provide an online section focussing on it.

During a sportanddev and UNHCR Week of Action on Sport and Refugees, we will launch that section, publishing one webpage per day between 22 and 27 September. The section will include information on practices and approaches, informing practitioners, policymakers, academics and anyone else interested in learning about it. It will be divided into six sub-sections:

1. The Sport for Protection Toolkit: An introduction to a toolkit created by UNHCR, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and Terre des hommes. The toolkit outlines the sport for protection approach and how to apply it.
2. Global Refugee Forum pledges: An overview of one of the most important policy processes guiding the movement around sport and refugees.
3. Elite sports and refugees: A description of some of the intersections between elite sport and work with refugees, from the refugee sports teams and scholarships for athletes to campaigns by professional athletes and programmes run by federations.
4. Resources for using sport to work with refugees: A list of tools to help organisations using sport in their work with refugees to improve the quality of their programmes.
5. Monitoring and evaluation and research: Links to resources to support you in successfully monitoring and evaluating the impact of your programmes, and a selection of important research papers on the topic of sport and refugees.
6. Partnerships: The key to any successful programme is involving stakeholders who bring complementary expertise on board. Here you will find tips, resources and examples of successful partnerships.