IDSDP 2021 in Israel and Palestine

Stronger together!

COVID-19 hit the sports for peace community in Israel and Palestine hard, with many organizations forced to suspend activities, or even close down entirely. Yet, as Albert Einstein said, “In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity," and from the difficulties of the last year, our sports for peace community is coming together to create something new and powerful for the future. 

Led by ONE TEAM - Sports for Social Change, (formerly Budo for Peace), in cooperation with the Alliance for Middle East Peace (ALLMEP), the sports for peace community collaborated together for this International Day of Sport for Development and Peace (IDSDP) to launch the Sports for Peace Coalition, designed to uplift the whole sector to new heights. Through shared learning and development, the coalition, which will eventually have up to 20 members, will seek to increase the impact of the sector, leading to real, meaningful change in the Middle East.   

Background

In 2019, after 15 years in the field, Budo for Peace (regional NGO of the Year 2018) teamed up with ALLMEP  and successfully launched the first multisports IDSDP for Israeli and Palestinian NGOs. 14 different organizations came together to organize 10 different sports for the 400 participants that attended. The success and goodwill created the momentum for Budo for Peace to pivot into a new organization with a wider scope. Under the banner of ONE TEAM, we are able to answer a need for greater cooperation within the sports for peace community in our region. 

In 2021, we celebrated IDSDP on Zoom by launching the Sport for Peace Coalition with 20 different sports for peace organizations from 10 different sports.

ONE TEAM is committed to developing and leading the Sports for Peace Coalition in the belief that shared working will empower all members of the sports for peace community to: 

• Share knowledge and best practices
• Optimize resource development opportunities
• Upscale activities 
• Increase collective impact

In many ways, the COVID-19 pandemic has forced the field to become more innovative and creative than ever before. With our minds open to the possibilities, and our hearts hopeful, thanks to the new political atmosphere created by the Abrahamic Accords, ONE TEAM believes that this is the moment to bring the sector together to increase awareness of the vital role which sports can play in bridging divisions and further the cause of peace.