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New York, June 24 (QNA) – The International Centre for Sport Security (ICSS) participated in a UN High-Level side event titled “The Role of Youth in Preventing Violent Extremism Through Sport”, which was held at the UN Headquarter in cooperation with the ‘UN Global Programme on Security of Major Sporting Events, and Promotion of Sport and Its Values as a Tool to Prevent Violent Extremism’.
The session shed light on the importance of promoting international cooperation to make use of sports in preventing violent extremism through the joint efforts of UN member state and agencies as well as the international organizations, athletes and youth who contributed to developing the recommendation of sports policy for preventing violent extremism.
The session also included an interactive dialogue between representatives of the African Sports Confederation Council, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the International Federation of Professional Football Players, who discussed the “More Than A Game” initiative, launched by the ICSS in cooperation with its partners in the global program during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, and led by professional soccer player and UNESCO Ambassador Dr. Nadia Nadim.
Participants launched the Working Document on Policy Recommendations on Preventing Violent Extremism through Sport from a Youth Perspective, which included the outcomes of a series of regional forums between youth leaders and senior policymakers to include youth insights into national action plans to counter violent extremism through sport.
Chief Executive Officer of ICSS Massimiliano Montanari said in a speech that youth are one of the main players in the international efforts aimed at preventing societies from terrorism and violent extremism. He underlined the need to strengthen youth-focused policies and integrate sports into violent extremism prevention initiatives within long-term development programs, in implementation of the sustainable development and peace agenda.
For his part, Executive Manager of Generation Amazing Foundation (GAF) Nasser Al Khouri voiced GAF’s pride in being a part of the Global Programme on Security of Major Sporting Events, and Promotion of Sport and Its Values as a Tool to Prevent Violent Extremism, which eyes deepening cooperation to achieve the common goal of leveraging sport to promote inclusion and social cohesion and build resilience and combat violent extremism in addition to developing and adopting policies and best practices to protect sport and major sporting events from extremist ideologies. (QNA)
