sportanddev recognised at 11th Commonwealth Sport Ministers Meeting

As the city prepared to host the world for the Olympic and Paralympic Games, 45 Commonwealth ministers and heads of delegation met in Paris on 24-25 July. The meeting was convened under the theme, Building Inclusive and Resilient Societies Through Sport. 

Government ministers and officials recommitted to using sport to ensure the socio-economic, physical, and mental well-being of current and future generations. Inclusion was central to the discussions, where ministers unanimously endorsed the Commonwealth Sport Declaration on Reconciliation and Partnership with Indigenous Peoples.  

Further, the group committed greater support for persons with disabilities and ensuring gender parity for women and girls in sports, including equal access, participation and leadership.  

sportanddev celebrated 

The International Platform on Sport and Development (sportanddev) presented at the meeting, providing an overview of the massive open online course (MOOC) on Sport for Sustainable Development. The MOOC, created by sportanddev, the Commonwealth and with Australian Government support through Team Up, has been highly successful with over 7,500 learners from 191 countries. The partners have now further sponsored the MOOC so that there are no restrictions for learners. 

Call for greater investment

At the meeting in Paris, sportanddev Executive Director Dr Ben Sanders called for greater investment in sport for development and grassroots sport, and for greater resources to be directed to supporting resources in other languages such as French, Spanish and Arabic. 

sportanddev was recently praised in the Commonwealth Ministerial Outcome Statement for our work in the sector! At the meeting, Dr Ben Sanders outlines what our organisation stands for. pic.twitter.com/r1QlQ2CGvV

— sportanddev (@sportanddev) August 14, 2024

Dr Ben Sanders speaking at a meeting of 45 Commonwealth ministers in Paris, 2024.

Dr Sanders also presented results from the first hybrid MOOC, a combination of self-paced learning, online instruction and an in-person meeting in Addis Ababa. This was delivered in partnership with the Commonwealth and African Union, and there is a clear demand for this to expand to other regions. The hybrid MOOC was further recognised in the ministerial outcome statement (item #26):  

“We commend the Commonwealth’s efforts in strengthening the capacity of experts and government officials in Designing Effective Sport Policies and Programmes through the use of the Massive Open Online Course and note the introduction of hybrid delivery of the programme.” 

Further, the work of sportanddev over the last 20+ years was celebrated in the ministerial statement (item #27):

“We acknowledge the 20th Anniversary of the International Platform on Sport and Development (sportanddev) for its contribution to sharing knowledge, building good practice, facilitating coordination and fostering partnerships in sport and development.” 

sportanddev welcomes the meeting’s focus on good governance, protecting and promoting human rights in and through sport. We also support its emphasis on the need for safeguarding, evidence-based approaches and outcomes, and better cross-sector collaboration to maximise the impact and benefits of sport. 

Moving forward 

sportanddev will continue to work closely with the Commonwealth, the Australian Government through Team Up, the African Union and other partners to strengthen the reach and impact of the MOOC, including the other language versions. We will also scale the hybrid MOOC to other regions.  

sportanddev will also continue to expand and improve its website, which attracts over 600,000 annual users, and is also now available in English, French, Spanish and Arabic. This includes providing a greater suite of tools and resources and strengthening the focus on research and learning, providing greater visibility and voice for underrepresented actors and much more. 

More broadly, the outcomes of the 11th Commonwealth Sport Ministers Meeting will contribute to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), which will be held from 21 to 25 October 2024 in Apia, Samoa.