Seminar: Achieving SDGs through sport

The seminar, "Achieving SDGs through sport: Partnerships and institutional responses for greater coherence and effectiveness” will take place in Lausanne’s Beaulieu Congress Center.

Experts from United Nations (UN) agencies, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and International Sports Federations (IFs) will get together at a full day seminar on 5 October 2017 in Lausanne’s Beaulieu Congress Center to discuss the topic of "Achieving the SDGs through sport: partnerships and institutional responses for greater coherence and effectiveness". SDGs stands for sustainable development goals. They drive the UN’s Sustainable Development Agenda until 2030 and are supported by governments, businesses and civil society, including the sport sector.

The goals were adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2015 and sport is included in the final outcome document as an “important enabler” of sustainable development. Since then, the UN with its various agencies, the IOC and the IFs have worked together and developed policies to use sport as a tool to contribute to the achievement of the 17 SDGs which address pressing challenges such as poverty, good health, well-being, quality education, gender equality, economic growth and sustainable cities and communities, to name just a few.

The objectives of this dedicated seminar are:

increase the coherence, convergence and effectiveness of various actions based on the new existing strategic frameworks
strengthen the knowledge of key partners about the relation of "SDGs and sport" within the UN system, the IOC, the IFs and other relevant stakeholders for their related activities
provide resources, practical tools and information to enable new partnerships; and facilitate networking between the UN system, the IFs and other relevant stakeholders

Jointly organised by the Cantons of Vaud and Geneva and the Swiss Confederation, under the aegis of the Permanent Swiss Mission to the UN in Geneva, the seminar is also supported by the International Academy of Sports Science and Technology (AISTS) as well as the Universities of Lausanne and Geneva. It builds on previous exchanges and working group led activities which followed a successful first edition held in January 2016 in Geneva that brought together some 100 international experts and decision makers from sport and sustainable development.

The seminar will feature thematic panels with high-level speakers and is structured as follows:

Introduction: SDGs and Agenda 2030 UNOG and the Swiss Government
Panel 1: Sustainability Strategy (IOC, FIFA and IFs)
Panel 2: Implementation of the SDGs through sport with the introduction of relevant strategies and programmes by UN agencies (UNDP, UNEP, UNESCO and UNICEF, HCR and WHO as well as other regional and international organisations
Panel 3: Institutional responses to achieving SDGs through sport via Multi-stakeholders initiatives and other existing Platforms
Panels 4 and 5: Economic impact and social inclusion through sustainable sport partnerships (ILO, Council of Europe, The Commonwealth Secretariat, IUCN) and public private partners like Football Club Barcelona and UNIGE

Attendance is by invitation only.