081211_ga_sportfordevelopmentandpeace - Australian Permanent Mission to the United Nations

Australian Permanent Mission to the United Nations

New York

Permanent Mission address: 150 East 42 Street, Level 33, New York, New York 10017 - Telephone: 1 212 351 6600 - Fax: 1 212 351 6610

11 December 2008

Statement by Peter Stone, Adviser, Permanent Mission of Australia to the United Nations to the United Nations General Assembly on Item 42: Sport for development and peace

(As delivered)

Mr President

Australia is committed to the principles of sport for development and peace and to the role the United Nations can play in furthering these principles. We welcome the report of the Secretary-General on this subject introduced this morning. We also welcome the Secretary-General’s decision to renew the mandate of the Special Adviser on Sport for Development and Peace and his appointment of Mr Wilfried Lemke to carry out that role. We look forward to working closely with Mr Lemke to share our experiences and help identify best practice in sport for development programs.

We would like to thank Switzerland and Chile for introducing the resolution before us today. Australia is pleased to co-sponsor this resolution.

By supporting sports-based activities in developing countries, Australia is providing opportunities for young men and women to develop skills in leadership, teamwork, self-discipline and respect for themselves and others, as well as providing a positive outlet for their energies.

The Australian Sports Outreach Program supports major programs in 7 countries and provides grants for smaller activities in over 40 countries in Africa, the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific. The program aims to increase the capacity of partners, like local authorities and communities, to plan and conduct sport-based activities that contribute to addressing locally identified development priorities. In Vanuatu, for example, 1,200 youth leaders are being trained to deliver village-based sports programs under the guidance of traditional leaders.

Earlier this year, the Papua New Guinea and Australian Governments announced a partnership, the PNG-Australia Sport for Development initiative, to assist the PNG Sports Foundation lead, manage and deliver programs in support of PNG Government policies. Australia has committed funding to this program until 2016.

With the expansion of our programs, Australia has established a dedicated Sport-for-development adviser position within our international aid agency, AusAID.

Australia also has a number of programs to address the involvement of women and girls in sport-related activities. This includes the Sport Leadership Grants for Women which provide opportunities for training and skills development to enable women to take on leadership and decision making roles in sport.

Mr President,

Sport is integral to Australia’s way of life, our view of ourselves and how we are viewed by the rest of the world. It helps build the social cohesion that binds families, communities, regions and the nation, as well as between nations. We remain committed to using sport as a valuable agent for development and peace around the world.

Thank you.