Sunday 28 April 2013

Peace and Sport Dubai Forum 2013 Draws to a Close



“During these two days, we spoke of peace, of sport, and of a concrete and realistic strategy to achieve them.”
Joel Bouzou

Following two-days of inspiring workshops, debates and plenary sessions, the first Peace and Sport Dubai Forum, held in Dubai for the first time under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Dubai Sport Council, expressed its stakeholders’ commitment to supporting and expanding the use of sport as a platform to spread sustainable peace.
In front of a total of 600 participants of over 50 nationalities from the world of politics, sport as well as government and nongovernmental organisations, Dr. Ahmed Al Sharif, Secretary General of the Dubai Sports Council and Chairman of the Forum Organising Committee declared: “On behalf of our Patron, Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Chairman of the Dubai Sports Council, I would like to congratulate all the stakeholders that were involved and participated in the successful running of this milestone forum. We are committed to carrying out the noble resolutions that have come as a result of this forum, an event that we have hosted with the utmost pride, as it holds values that are intertwined with the values on which this nation is built.”
On his part, Joel Bouzou, Founder and President of the Peace and Sport Organization said: “This First Continental Forum has cemented our partnership with Dubai and the UAE region. The fruitful exchanges we had in the past days clearly demonstrate that the region is now calling for Sport to play a key role in building sustainable peace. Together with local leaders, we have successfully identified concrete areas of progress on which Sport could make a difference. Peace and Sport now aims to accompany all these actors on the long run to fully convert the try. I am convinced the Peace and Sport Dubai Forum 2013 is only a milestone to a long and sustainable collaboration.”
Day 2 – Identifying the Challenges
Following the foundation work placed during the three workshops held on the first day, in which a number of speakers and participants discussed and debated the three key topics of Leadership Role, Challenge Identification, and Comprehensive Stakeholder Involvement, day two consisted of three plenary sessions where the resolutions of the first day were discussed. During these free flowing sessions, the speakers explored the subjects further in order to help finalise the roadmap that will guide the next steps taken following the conclusion of the first Peace and Sport Dubai Forum.   The speakers included H.E. Jasim Mohammed Jaafar, Iraqi Minister of Youth and Sport, H.E. Humaid Mohammed Al-Qattami, UAE Minister of Education, H.E. Tariq Deyab, Tunisian Minister for Sport, and H.E. El Omari Farouk El Omari Egyptian Minister of Sport, in addition to Ms. Nawal El Moutawakel, Vice President of the IOC, Niina Toroi, International Woman Group and Dr. Hamad Al Shaibani, President of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Award for International Peace, as well as other distinguished guest speakers.

Recommendations
1-      Reinforce the leadership and independence of the sport movement in order to facilitate interactions with political leaders and governments with the aim to contribute to sustainable peace.
2-      Encourage partnerships between the National Olympic Committees, National Sports federations, government, civil societies and champions to spread the message of sustainable peace through sport.
3-      Integrate universal sport values within the scholastic curriculum to promote the social impact of sport, or the contribution of sport to a better society
4-      Launch the Peace and Sport Fund initiative that has been presented to the international sports organisations as a means to further amplify the values of the peace through sport movement.
5-      Engage international sports organizations and sports federations to dedicate 2014 as the year for peace through sport, the year of sporting values and principles.
6-      Advocacy the power of sport to be at the service of sustainable peace.
7-      Encourage the role of educators, families, actors of civil society to promote peace through sport and raise the awareness of all, for the next generations.
8-      Take Dubai as a model to the successful and peaceful coexistence of over 200 nationalities and cultures, and dedicate one yearly celebration entitled “Sport Unites Day”. 


Legacy
The Legacy of this pioneering forum will be the implementation  of Peace and Sport UAE in Dubai, the regional hub of the international organization. This presence will be a continuation of the collaboration with Dubai which started over three years ago, and will extend the organization’s reach: implementation of with programmes and concrete solutions that promote sustainable peace in the region.

Football for Peace – UAE vs Pakistan
At the end of the special session late on the first day of the Peace and Sport Dubai Forum, the Football for Peace Initiative, spearheaded by Pakistani Star Footballer Kashif Siddiqi announced their support to Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani girl shot by extremists whilst defending the right for education of girls in Pakistan, through a Football for Peace friendly match between the UAE and Pakistan on World Peace Day - 21 September 2013. The match will be dedicated to Malala and its proceeds will go towards funding the foundation in her name.
During the announcement, Siddiqi praised the role of women in society and particularly his mother’s during his formative years in Pakistan. As a co-founder of the Football for Peace movement he was drawn to Malala’s story and saw her power to be a role model for the next generation of their country and beyond.

Malala, the youngest ever Nobel Peace Prize nominee is still unable to travel due to her injuries. She appeared at the Peace and Sport Dubai Forum via a recorded video message thanking the members of the organization and her supporters for their belief in her message for the right for education for women in Pakistan: “thank you so much, for bringing awareness and support of education and equality for girls, through the power of sport, on such a significant day. I look forward to visiting you in Dubai in the very near future and hope to attend the festivities with my family.”

Announcing Badminton World Federation Peace and Sport Cup

During the closing ceremony of the Peace and Sport Dubai Forum 2013, Dr. Ahmed Al Sharif Secretary General of the Dubai Sports Council, Joel Bouzou President and Founder of the Peace and Sport Organisation announced the co-signature of a Memorandum of Understanding with Stuart Borrie, Badminton World Federation Director of Operations, to stage the BWF Peace and Sport Cup in Dubai during the month of September.

The BWF Peace and Sport Cup follows in the footsteps of the Peace and Sport Table Tennis Cup held in Qatar in 2011, and continues the process of bridge building and consolidating the message of peace through sports in the region and the world. The tournament will be dedicated to women teams and is open to 10 countries. Each team will comprise of 2 players and 1 coach with the coach of each team then participating in a BWF led training workshop. A draw for the tournament will be announced by the Dubai Sports Council in the very near future.


The full programme of the Peace and Sport Dubai Forum 2013, videos and photos are available on www.peaceandsport.ae   

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