What happened on the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace?
Saturday 6 April was the sixth International Day of Sport for Development and Peace (IDSDP). Those following our #10DaysofIDSDP trivia contest know that the IDSDP was first introduced in a 2013 UN Resolution, but was celebrated for the first time in 2014. Since then, the day has been recognised through several initiatives, including Peace and Sport’s #WhiteCard campaign and April6 platform. Other organisations have launched photo contests and social media campaigns to raise awareness about the day. Many groups celebrate 6 April by holding themed sport activities from sports festivals for inclusion to football for peace events.
This year has seen a number of exciting events, including one hosted by the UN on sport’s role in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals – the theme of this IDSDP 2019. The Commonwealth also held their fourth debate on sport and sustainable development, bringing together panels of experts and calling attention to a knowledge gap around sport’s contribution to sustainable development.
As always, members of the sportanddev community have made their voices heard this year, letting us know what 6 April means to them by submitting their activities and by participating in our video contest. We received 47 videos and our team was blown away by how creative they were.
We also received 52 submissions from organisations sharing their plans and a message for the day, as well as a range of commentary articles. Those included an article series from members of the Bond Sport and Development Group, who were asked why they use sport in their work and how it adds value to what they do.
Once again this year, we would like to thank all of you for helping to raise awareness about this day and for committing to using sport for social good. Especially in face of recent trends of political extremism and turbulent relations between communities, we are glad to share so many messages of unity representing multiple backgrounds, locations, ages and languages. We’ve included some of your inspiring messages below, and we look forward to hearing more about what the IDSDP means to you. Don’t forget to use the hashtags on social media: #IDSDP #IDSDP2019 #Sport4SDGs #WhiteCard
Sport provides a mutual interest and common language uniting individuals from different backgrounds who would otherwise not meet, but who share a love for the game.” - Lara Portnoy, The Peres Center for Peace and Innovation
- “International Day of Sport for Development and Peace is an important day to promote the power of sports in bridging the inequalities in society.” - Aditya KV, UMOYA Sports
- “It is an opportunity to share with our students [what] sports and peace mean and why we believe they are important in our daily live[s] and for our societies. Through sports we can develop teamwork and share values that will keep people in peace.” - Julian Mora, Little Kickers Ecuador
- “[6 April ] is day to spread the beauty and power of sport to unite and build what we want to see in the world.” - Paula Sandoval, Proyecto Cantera Juntos por México A.C
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