16 February 2017 - UNODC is committed to supporting initiatives to promote integrity and good governance in sport, and to help safeguard major sporting events against corruption, UNODC's Executive Director, Yury Fedotov, told those taking part in the 2nd International Forum for Sport Integrity (IFSI), organized and hosted by the
International Olympic Committee (IOC).
The IFSI enables representatives of governments, international organizations, international and national sports organizations, betting entities and experts to collaborate on the protection of clean sport. Participants at this year's forum agreed on a declaration which focused on measures designed to strengthen the prevention of the manipulation of competitions and supporting ethical conduct - anti-corruption in sport.
Meeting at the event, Mr. Fedotov and the President of the IOC, Thomas Bach, agreed to further enhance collaboration between UNODC and IOC in a concerted effort to promote good governance in sport and to mitigate the risk of corruption through the development of more effective prevention, enforcement and education measures.
"UNODC recognizes the vital contribution that sports can make to the empowerment of individuals and communities, as well as to health, education and social inclusion all over the world," Mr. Fedotov said. "We look forward to further strengthening our work with the IOC and all our partners to stop corruption, thwart the involvement of organized crime and promote integrity in sports," he added.
The deepening collaboration between UNODC and IOC to support integrity in sport was further evidenced by the release, on 15 February 2017, of an in-depth study entitled " Criminal Law Provisions for the Prosecution of Competition Manipulation" which was conducted jointly between the two organizations. This assessment can be read in conjunction with a booklet on model criminal law provisions, developed for policy makers on how to prosecute competition manipulation.
As part of UNODC's work in using sports as a tool for peace, the organization is also rolling out an initiative under the Global Programme on the Implementation of the Doha Declaration, which provides life skills training programmes to build resilience of at risk youth and reduce anti-social behaviour. The initiative - which is currently being piloted in Brazil and will be rolled out in countries in Africa, Central Asia, the Middle East and South America - aims to promote sports and related activities to prevent crime and strengthen the life skills of youth by enhancing knowledge of the consequences of risky behaviour.
UNODC Executive Director's statement at the meeting
