The International Day of Sports for Development and Peace (IDSDP) proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in 2013, is celebrated on April 6th. IDSDP serves to highlight the importance that sports plays in empowering and developing many individuals from various communities around the world. The practice of sports is an important human right that instills discipline and respect. Through sports, humans develop the act of humanitarianism, as sports is considered to be a powerful tool in promoting peace and unity.
Action Change believes in community development to break barriers across the world, and sports has aided towards achieving this goal. Research shows, sports has aided in empowering young girls, women, individuals living with disabilities and many marginalized groups by not only providing them with health benefits but by also assisting in encouraging individual development and the promotion of gender equality. Putting into consideration the importance of SDG goal 5: achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.
As 2030 brings forward a goal and agenda of transforming the world, we look at the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Sport contributes to the well-being of individuals of all ages, genders and ethnic groups. At Action Change, we take pride in highlighting and being part of the change that focuses on health, emphasising on the importance of goal 3: ensure healthy lives and promote well being for individuals of all ages.
Goal 4: Ensure inclusive and quality education for all and promote lifelong learning. Sports provides lifetime lessons and discipline that children carry with them throughout life. When instilled at a young age, young children could learn many valuable life values through sports.
“Sport is an important enabler of sustainable development. We recognize the growing contribution to the realization of development and peace in its promotion of tolerance and respect and the contributions it makes to the empowerment of women and of young people, individuals and communities as well as to health, education and social inclusion objectives” – Wilfred Lemke.
By Dideka Njemla
