Fostering Inter-Cultural Dialogue through Sport

Save the Dream hosted special session during 7th United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) Global Forum to promote the role of sport in enhancing peace, sustainable development, inclusivity and integration in society on April 27, 2016, in Baku, Azerbaijan.

The Conference was attended by high-level representatives from government, international organisations and civil society. The special session was chaired by Massimiliano Montanari, Executive Director of Save the Dream, and involved Fikret Orman, President of Besiktas J.K., Sergey Danilenko, Secretary-General of the World Ethnosports Confederation and Kashif Mumtaz Siddiqi, international football player and Founder of Football for Peace. 

Influential figures including football legend Christian Karembeu, the first-ever Palestinian female football captain Honey Thaljieh, Secretary-General of Association of Football Federations of Azerbaijan Elkan Mammadov, Syrian refugee and football coach Osama Abdul Mohsen and peace activist Nelsa Curbelo joined the session to share their experiences on how sport has transformed their lives and played an important role in enhancing society.

Taking place under the umbrella theme of Sports for Peace, Sustainable and Inclusive Development, panellists shared their experiences about of how sport has transformed their lives and played an important role in enhancing society across a number of areas including:

• Promoting peace, sustainable development, inclusivity and integration into society
• The role of sport in breaking down social barriers and promoting inter-cultural dialogue
• Encouraging social inclusion and cohesion and uniting people and communities

Following the Save the Dream session the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) and Save the Dream have signed Memorandum of Understanding with the aim of encouraging more organisations to empower young people and intercultural dialogue through the values of sport. The agreement will see the two organisations work together to develop joint projects – including education workshops, youth seminars and sport programmes – to help empower young people through the values of sport, promote inter-cultural dialogue and encourage better social inclusion and cohesion within society.