Sport for Development

Dear Delegates,

It is a pleasure to welcome you to the 2015 Montessori Model United Nations Conference.

The following pages intend to guide you in the research of the topics that will be debated at MMUN 2015 in committee sessions. Please note this guide only provides the basis for your investigation. It is your responsibility to find as much information necessary on the topics and how they relate to the country you represent. Such information should help you write your Position Paper, where you need to cite the references in the text and finally list all references in the Modern Language Association (MLA} format.

The more information and understanding you acquire on the two topics, the more you will be able to influence the Resolution writing process through debates [formal and informal caucuses], and the MMUN experience as a whole. Please feel free to contact us if and when you face challenges in your research or formatting your Position Papers. We encourage you to learn all you can about your topics first and then study your country with regard to the two selected topics. Please remember that both committee members need to be well versed and ready to debate both topics.

Enjoy researching and writing your Position Papers.

We look forward to seeing you at the Conference!

MMUN Secretariat Team [email protected]

ECONOMIC AND FINANCIAL AFFAIRS COUNCIL (ECOFIN)

The Economic and Financial Committee is one of six committees that constitute the United Nations General Assembly. The United Nations Economic and Financial Committee, otherwise known as the Second Committee of the General Assembly or ECOFIN, handles issues relating to development, financial sustainability, and economic cooperation between states. The committee has 18 functional programs, departments, organizations, and commissions and is composed of all member states. Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO’s) and international organizations can sit in on meetings and give their input. ECOFIN works in coordination with the World Bank and IMF (International Monetary Fund) to promote economic sustainability and welfare. At the sixty fourth session, the committee took action on 45 draft proposals, and is expected to do the same this year. These proposals covered a wide variety of economic and socio-economic issues, including third world sustainable development.

Source: http://www.un.org/en/ga/second/

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Sport for Development

Topic Background

“Sport for Development” refers to projects that use sports to achieve development goals such as eradicating poverty and hunger, making sure all boys and girls have an education, and preventing disease. Sport for Development projects work in two primary ways:

• Playing Sports: Many projects have children learn and play sports as a way of learning about development issues and developing life skills. For example, GOALS is an NGO that gets children in Haiti involved in community service by teaching them how to play football (also known as “soccer” in the United States). Right to Play is another NGO that uses sports and games to teach children in Africa and Asia about physical fitness, conflict resolution, and community building.

• Watching Sports: Other projects use athletes and sports events to raise awareness about development issues. The annual Match Against Poverty in Brazil, for example, brings together celebrity football players to raise awareness and funding to fight poverty and hunger. The UN Foundation’s Nothing but Nets Campaign recruits NBA players to raise awareness about malaria prevention in Africa. And millions of spectators around the world watch the World Cup and the Olympics, whose organizers use the events to raise awareness about poverty and other social issues.

Sports may seem like fun and games, but they also change the world, like it has in these countries:

• Millions of people live and breathe football and sports in Brazil, which will host the World Cup in 2014 and the Olympics in 2016. At the same time, millions of Brazilians live in poverty and hunger. To raise awareness and money about this issue, the international community organized a friendly football match between celebrity athletes Ronaldo and Zinedine Zidane in the 10th annual Match Against Poverty. Over 50,000 fans attended the game and the proceeds were split between projects in Brazil and Africa.i

• Millions of people around the world were introduced to the constant buzzing sound of the vuvuzela when South Africa hosted the World Cup in 2010. The World Cup also raised awareness about the discrimination and violence that women and girls face in South Africa. An NGO called SCORE provides a safe environment for girls to play football and work with local volunteers. At the same time, girls learn leadership, communication, disease prevention, and other life skills.ii

• Russia hosted the 2014 Winter Olympics in the city of Sochi. The United Nations worked with various NGOs, including the Russian Geographical Society, to recommend various projects that would minimize the environmental impact of the Olympics. The projects include restoring fisheries, expanding the size of the national park, and reintroducing the Persian leopard.iii

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In 2003, the UN released a report called “Sport for Development and Peace: Towards Achieving the Millennium Development Goals.” The report found that playing and watching sports promotes health, education, peace, and other development goals around the world. The report also reaffirmed that children have a right to play sports.iv

UNICEF works with various governments and NGOs on sport for development projects, but its most well- known projects involve those with individuals and celebrities. UNICEF’s Goodwill Ambassadors come from around the world and visit people in developing countries to raise awareness about poverty and other social issues. Goodwill Ambassadors include tennis player Serena Williams, football players David Beckham and Leo Messi, among other celebrity athletes, singers, and actors.v

Many international NGOs run sport for development projects. Sportanddev.org is an online platform that connects these NGOs with one another. The website offers resources to help NGOs start sport for development projects.

Possible Solutions

The United Nations acknowledges that sports are not the ultimate solution to development. But it is one tool that governments and NGOs can use to promote development, especially education and health.

There are several areas the General Assembly can focus on to promote the use of sports in development:

• Sport and Health: Sports can help countries develop healthy citizens by increasing physical activity levels, promoting healthy attitudes, fostering social connections, and serving as a platform for communication and education. The UN has recommended that governments use various tools to promote physical activity, including passing laws and regulations, making it cheaper to participate in sports, and using mass media to promote sports.

• Sport and Gender: Sports can be used to empower girls and women. Regular physical activity reduce the risk of breast cancer in women. Sports can serve as a platform to provide girls and women with education and health services. The UN has recommended that governments set national policies that make sports more easily accessible to girls and women. The UN has also recommended that governments adopt policies that lead to more equality between boys and girls in sports.

• Sport and Disability: People with disabilities face discrimination in many countries, leading to their exclusion from education and employment opportunities. Sports can be an agent of change and help include people with disabilities in society. Sports designed for people with disabilities, such as wheelchair sports, can be empowering and inspiring. The UN has recommended that governments adopt policies that promote sports for persons with disabilities.

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Further Research

Guiding Questions

1. What is “sport for development?” Why is it important? 2. How does the UN use sports to promote development? 3. How can your NGO use sports to promote development goals?

Research Sources

• There is an entire UN agency dedicated to Sport for Development and Peace. It produces an annual report on the work of sport for development projects around the world. The United Nations has produced a set of recommendations for governments on how to harness the power of sports. • The UN has also produced a comic book on sport for development called Score the Goals. • See how the Olympics is using sports to promote development and peace. • Use the sportanddev.org toolkit to develop your NGO project proposal.

i “Stars Play Match Against Poverty.” United Nations Development Programme. http://bit.ly/YScf42 ii Bedi, Paddy. “Trained community sports volunteers lead young South Africans into the future.” UK Sport. December 20, 2012. http://bit.ly/WMxGvw iii “Restoration of Rivers and Enlargement of Sochi National Park among UNEP-Proposed Measures for a Green 2014 Winter Olympics in Russia.” United Nations Environmental Programme. July 12, 2012. http://bit.ly/RLGiWW iv “Sport for Development and Peace: Towards Achieving the Millennium Development Goals.” United Nations Inter- Agency Task Force on Sport for Peace and Development. 2003. http://bit.ly/VV05RQ v “International Goodwill Ambassadors and Advocates.” United Nations Children’s Fund. http://uni.cf/pKGO9n

Website: www.montessori-mun.org Email: [email protected]