Virtual Launch Event: Technical Guide on Preventing Violent Extremism through Sports

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Agenda

Opening Remarks: 

• Ms. Candice Welsch, Deputy Director, Division of Operations, UNODC

• Mr. Sheikh Abdul Rahman Al-Thani, Permanent Mission of the State of Qatar to the United Nations (Vienna)

Presentations:

• Mr. Alexander Schischlik, Chief of Section, Youth & Sport, UNESCO

• Dr. Holly Collison, UNODC consultant, Institute for Sport Business, Loughborough University London

• Mr. Peter Cheboi, Senior Liaison Officer, Kenya National Counter-terrorism Centre

• Mr. Claus Farnberger,Senior Advisor, Austrian Federal Ministry of Art, Culture, Civil Service and Sport

• Dr. Mohanned Arabiat, President of “Generations for Peace”, Civil Society Organization

Closing remarks:  Mr. Marco Teixeira, Senior Programme Coordinator, Doha Global Programme, UNODC

Moderator:  Georgia Dimitropoulou, Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Officer, UNODC

Background

To effectively prevent violent extremism and strengthen social cohesion, the provision of adequate assistance to youth and their meaningful engagement and participation  is considered vital .^[1] Adopted at the 13^th United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, the Doha Declaration contains commitments of Member States relating to the prevention of crime and violent extremism and stresses the fundamental role of youth participation in crime prevention efforts.^[2] In a similar way, the United Nations Secretary -General’s Plan of Action to Prevent Violent Extremism^[3] calls for a series of measures aimed at building a culture of tolerance and resilience to violence, including by empowering youth through supporting the learning of new skills.

United Nations Security Council resolution 2419 (2018), along with its commitment to the full implementation by Member States of resolution 2250 (2015), reaffirms the important role that youth can play in peacebuilding and sustaining peace and recognizes the growing contribution of sport to the realization of peace in its promotion of tolerance and respect. The role of sport as a tool for peace is also underlined by Member States with the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, highlighting the contributions that sport can make to the empowerment of communities, to individuals – particularly women and young people – as well as to health, education and social inclusion. The United Nations Actions Plan on Sport for Development and Peace (updated in 2018)^[4] places sport in its role as an important enabler of sustainable development and provides a framework of reference for governments, civil society and private sector to identify and promote the best ways sport can deliver towards the achievement of the SDGs.

UNODC, under its Global Programme for the Implementation of the Doha Declaration, promotes sport as a vehicle to increase young people’s resilience to crime, violence and drug use. Central to this work is the development and implementation of a sport-based, life-skills training programme called ‘Line Up Live Up’ , which engages  youth around the world and builds personal and social skills in order to empower them as agents of change and to promote a culture of tolerance and respect. General Assembly resolution 74/170 adopted in 2019, encourages Member States to integrate sport into youth crime prevention and criminal justice strategies, and requests UNODC to continue identifying and disseminating good practices on the use of sport to reduce crime and violence.

To respond to this request and building on its work on youth crime prevention through sport, UNODC developed guidance on the effective use of sport and sport-based learning as a tool for preventing violent extremism, to address risk and protective factors and to strengthen young people’s resilience. The Technical Guide on Preventing Violent Extremism through Sport, developed in consultation with international experts, recognizes the importance of promoting the well-being of children and youth. It applies an approach that encourages prosocial behaviour and good safeguarding and welfare practices, with particular emphasis on educational and social development measures in line with the United Nations Guidelines for the Prevention of Crime. The guide, addressed mainly to policy makers and implementing organizations, has been carefully designed to support effective integration of sport-based learning in primary prevention frameworks. By adopting a five-zone approach to prevent violent extremism namely safe space, empowerment, resilience, social inclusion and education, it supports informed policy development and a Theory of Change that can shape curriculum design and content. To further support global efforts in preventing violent extremism, UNODC is also developing an e-learning module and a practical tool for trainers that will be published soon and will complement this technical guide.