sportanddev and Qatar Fund for Development launch Arabic website and online course in sport for development
The International Platform on Sport and Development (sportanddev) and the Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD) have launched the global sportanddev.org website in Arabic and opened the Arabic version of our highly successful massive open online course (MOOC) on sport for sustainable development.
While there are a growing number of Arabic-speaking stakeholders using sport for development and peace (SDP), there remain limited resources in Arabic to support and strengthen the sector. To tackle this challenge, and ensure greater visibility and impact for SDP in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), sportanddev and QFFD launched a groundbreaking partnership at the start of 2023.
As part of this partnership, both organisations are delighted to announce the launch of the following:
The sportanddev.org website has existed since 2003, borne out of the United Nations and global community’s need for a dedicated meeting place and hub for actors using sport and development. The website has over 600,000 unique annual visitors from 229 countries and territories. These are primarily visitors to the English website and the French version, which was launched in 2016. sportanddev and QFFD have partnered to launch the first Arabic version of the website, providing tools, resources and information for stakeholders in sport and development and to build a more equitable sector.
sportanddev, in partnership with the Australian Government and Commonwealth Secretariat, launched the first massive open online course (MOOC) in Sport for Sustainable Development in July 2020 to strengthen the contribution that sport can make to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The English course has attracted over 6,400 learners from 189 countries (and counting!) and the French course has recently been released. sportanddev and QFFD have partnered to review and adapt the course for an Arabic-speaking audience.
The course is open access and free of charge and open for enrolment from 18 December. The course will start on 15 January 2024, and anyone can sign up at any point.
QFFD welcomed the launch of these resources: “From peacebuilding and supporting refugees to developing employment skills and promoting gender equality, sport is being used for a wide range of humanitarian, social development and economic goals in the MENA region. With sportanddev in Arabic and an Arabic massive open online course, we are glad to be able to provide sport for development organisations in our region with the necessary resources to address them effectively.”
Ms Haneen Khatib, female leader in sport and development from Jordan and Consultant at sportanddev, enthused about the partnership: “We are excited about the launch of these resources, which will help build a more equitable and inclusive sport and development sector by providing visibility, tools and resources to support Arabic-speaking stakeholders in the MENA region and beyond.”
The partnership will also support the organisation of a high-level sport for development and peace event in and related to the Middle East and North Africa regions. Overall, the partnership seeks to improve equity, access and inclusion by ensuring that Arabic-speaking stakeholders and voices are given greater visibility and can input more significantly into a reshaped sport and development sector.
About the partners
The Qatar Fund for Development
Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD) is a public development institution committed, on behalf of the State of Qatar, to implement external aid projects under Law No. 19 of 2002 and its amendments.
It has provided aid to several countries around the world to achieve the international cooperation goals of the Qatar National Vision 2030.
The International Platform on Sport and Development
The International Platform on Sport and Development (sportanddev) is the leading hub for the global sport and development community to share knowledge, build good practice, communicate with others, and create partnerships. It is an online resource and networking tool that offers online courses designed to share and advance knowledge on how to be best use sports as a tool for peace and development.
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