© UN Photo
UN Mission Co-sponsors "Sports Day for Peace" in Haitian Capital

The 8th World Conference on Sport, Education and Culture is co-organized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and UNESCO. The event, to be opened by the President of the IOC and a high-level UNESCO representative, will bring together around 500 people from governments, UN agencies and NGOs to highlight the power of sport as a mediator for social and economic development.

Key discussion topics include the value of sport to civil society, education and culture, most notably with respect to reinforcing family structures and building community. With this in mind, the Conference will be held under the banner of the UN International Year of Cooperatives, which aims to raise public awareness of the invaluable contributions of cooperative enterprises to poverty reduction, employment generation and social inclusion.

Building on the success of the 2010 edition of the Conference, the engagement of young people will be a key outcome. In order to ensure the broad-based participation of youth leaders in the event, targeted working group sessions will be organized for young people to debate practical ways of using sport, education and cultural activities to aid local and national development.