Governments in Action Part II
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NATIONAL OVERVIEWS 21 FEATURED COUNTRIES 22 Angola 27 Argentina 32 Australia 41 Austria 46 Azerbaijan 50 Benin 53 Brazil 59 Burundi 63 Canada 68 Cape Verde 73 Ethiopia 78 Germany 82 Ghana 87 Lebanon 90 Mexico 94 Mozambique 99 The Netherlands 105 Norway 110 Palau 115 occupied Palestinian territory 119 Papua New Guinea 126 Peru 130 Samoa 134 Sierra Leone 137 South Africa 142 Spain 147 Sri Lanka 151 Switzerland 157 Tanzania 162 Thailand 167 Uganda 172 United Kingdom 179 Vanuatu 184 Zambia GENESIS OF THE GOVERNMENT’S INVOLVEMENT IN SPORT FOR DEVELOPMENT AND PEACE A Since gaining independence in 1975, the Government of Angola has regarded sport as a powerful tool for achieving social objectives. Sport is also viewed as a unifying force that has brought together a population devastated by years of conflict. During the civil war, from 1975 until 2002, moments of truce L were forged at national football games, during which time supporters and combatants from opposing forces came together peacefully. Today, many of the country’s community and social development policies are supported by sport components. POLICY The Government of Angola asserts that sport, education and health are strongly interconnected and cannot be separated O on a policy level. The Ministry of Youth and Sports, the main body responsible for sport programming, uses sport as a tool for achieving social development and peace goals through a range of programs and initiatives. The Ministry cooperates with other governmental and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), creating Joint Work Commissions to govern projects undertaken with the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Health, and other appropriate agencies. G In 2005, the Government of Angola passed Resolution 29/05, the Government Executive Plan for Youth Support (Resolução n° 29/05 Plano Executivo do Governo de Apoio a Juventude, or PEGAJ), targeting young people, girls, and youth at risk (street youth, sex workers, rural youth, out-of-school populations and young persons with disabilities). The Executive Plan calls for the government and private sector to support youth in a range of socio-economic spheres, including education and learning, health, sport, employment, and professional training. The government recognizes the positive social networks that sport can provide, and the executive plan identifies sport as a key area of focus for young people. AN In 2003, the Governments of Angola and Brazil signed a MDG 1: Poverty and hunger eradication is a priority of the bilateral agreement on Sport for Development (Ajuste Angolan government. One program that may be contributing Complementar entre o Governo da República Federativa do to poverty reduction through increased economic development Brasil e o Governo da República de Angola no domínio do is Social Integration Through Sport. Under this program, desporto) to promote the exchange of knowledge and expertise factories that produce soccer balls and other sports in sport administration, sport for persons with disabilities, equipment provide employment opportunities for inmates women and sport, games and traditional sport, social inclusion in prison facilities. through sport, and documentation and dissemination of information on sport. Courses, seminars, scholarships and MDG 8: Global partnerships for development have allowed technical visits are included in the agreement in order to Angola to benefit from the knowledge and expertise of promote knowledge-exchange. Concrete outcomes of this governments, NGOs, and international bodies. Brazil and knowledge-exchange include Angola’s Community Sport Portugal, for example, have forged strong knowledge- program (Desporto Comunitário), designed to reduce school sharing partnerships with Angola. absenteeism, and Social Integration Through Sport (Inserção social pela prática esportiva), a sport livelihood program in which a football factory is operated within a prison facility. PROGRAMS AND INITIATIVES Angola’s Constitution of 1992 identifies sport as one of the Emergence Program basic rights of all citizens, referenced in Articles 31 and 49. The Emergence Program — Sport, Leisure and Recreation Sport is defined by the 1998 Sports System Basic Law (Lei as Formative Occupation for Youth (Programa Despontar de Bases do Sistema Desportivo). — Ocupação Formativa dos Tempos Livres da Juventude através do Desporto, Lazer e Recreação), is the largest and “Sport is a social phenomenon of unquestionable most recent program developed by the Ministry of Youth and importance and has exerted its influence in the global Sports. Targeting 1 to 2 million young people, the program way of life, having generated diverse motivations uses sport and physical activity to reduce delinquency, that mobilize citizens for its practice, whether in promote good citizenship, and identify new sports talents recreational or high competition levels.”1 in the country. Recently, the Ministry of Youth and Sports established a Sport for All commission to review this law on sports. The review will The Angolan government’s Sport for All program began consider the Sport for Development sector’s shift from with the country’s independence in 1975 and was officially exclusively government-run programs to private sector and reinstated after the civil war ended in 2002. Angola’s Sport NGO participation in sport initiatives. for All is modelled on São Paulo in Motion (Agita São Paulo), a program originated in Brazil by the Centre for Physical Fitness The Government of Angola recognizes that its Sport for Research Laboratory Sao Caetano do Sul (CELAFISCS). São Development policies and programs are linked to the Paulo in Motion encourages every person to engage in at achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). least 30 minutes of cumulative physical activity per day. This The MDGs are being integrated into the government’s physical activity may include ordinary tasks such as climbing medium- and long-term planning exercises, including its stairs instead of using elevators and walking or cycling rather Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) and Reconstruction than driving. and Rehabilitation Program. Specifically, sport is recognized as an important tool linked to the following MDGs: 23 ANGOLA The Angolan government, through the Ministry of Youth and primary- and secondary-aged children and youth that are being Sports, initiated the Sport for All program by training 60 created across the country. The creation of these schools volunteer monitors who work in urban and semi-urban areas. reflects the Government of Angola’s belief that sport is more Monitors raise awareness of the physical and social benefits likely to become a lifelong habit if people are involved in of regular, moderate exercise. Ultimately, the government physical activity from a young age. Along with specific sport hopes that increased participation in sport will reduce the skills, students of the schools learn to support teammates funding necessary to treat chronic diseases such as diabetes, and to follow rules of fair play. Participants are enrolled in high blood pressure, obesity, and osteoporosis. sport and recreation groups focusing on soccer, basketball, and handball. More than 6,000 young people currently Initiatives to promote social integration participate, and this number is expected to grow as the With expertise gained through its bilateral agreement with network of training schools expands. the Government of Brazil, Angola has been able to institute the Social Integration Through Sport program (Inserção The University Sport (Desporto Universitário) initiative is a Social pela Prática do desporto), based on Brazil’s Second program which promotes sporting activities at the university Half program. Inmates of the prison facility in Viana, just level. University Sport reflects the government’s recognition outside the Angolan capital of Luanda, manufacture volleyballs, of the importance of sport for students of all ages and is handballs, soccer balls, and basketballs. Bank accounts are designed to stimulate participation at all levels of achievement, opened on inmates’ behalf and wages are paid directly into from beginner to elite, to create a healthier, more cohesive their accounts. A portion of the savings is made available to university community. inmates’ families, and the remainder of the savings is available to inmates upon their release. The benefits of the program Sport for Persons with Disabilities (Desporto para Portadores are far-reaching: inmates are equipped with the skills needed de Deficiência) is an initiative developed by the government for re-integration into their communities upon completion of which recognizes that decades of conflict have left a significant their sentence; and the sporting equipment they produce is portion of the Angolan population with physical and mental used in low-income communities where children in orphanages disabilities. Under this initiative, the Angolan government are taught sport and teamwork skills. Currently, approximately is collaborating with NGOs to increase the number of 5,000 children participate in this program. rehabilitation centres and associated sport groups for persons with disabilities. The focus is on improving participants’ Another initiative promoting social integration is the Rotating health and self-esteem, and improving staff members’ Neighbourhood/President Cup (Gira Bairro ou Taça do knowledge and skill. In 2007, 1,000 people were expected Presidente), a sport championship that highlights the to participate in