Context
Sport promotes social integration, encourages an active lifestyle and serves as an educational tool. It has an almost unparalleled reach into all spheres of society. Through its professional and voluntary structures, sport facilitates participation and creates a sense of belonging across ethnic and social divides.
The idea of using Sport for Development first gained international recognition in 2001, when the United Nations (UN) appointed its first Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Sport for Development and Peace. Two years later, the UN recognised the potential of sport ‘as a means to promote education, health, development and peace’ (UN Resolution 58/5). In order to raise public awareness of the importance of sport, in 2013 the UN declared 6 April the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace. Agenda 2030 also underscores the contribution that sport can make to implementing the Sustainable Development Goals, for example through the sustainable use of resources and the inclusion of individuals with disabilities.
When used knowledgeably, sport can have a particularly positive impact on the development of children and young people. Through sport, they learn to act in a fair and tolerant manner, grow in self-esteem and develop a willingness to take on responsibility. Sport teaches life skills that empower them to overcome difficult circumstances in their lives and take charge of their own futures. Having recognised this potential, the German Government is employing the notion of Sport for Development as a cross-cutting topic in German development cooperation. The topic links to other development goals in areas such as education, health promotion, violence prevention, conflict transformation, vocational education and training, gender equality, organisational development, inclusivity, and the integration of refugees.
Objective
Sport is increasingly employed within a development cooperation context as an instrument for mobilisation, awareness-raising and integration, and is considered an innovative topic that provides impetus for change and sustainable development at both individual and societal level.
Approach
For many years now, German development cooperation actors have been using sport as an instrument for mobilisation, awareness-raising and integration. The goal is to establish sport as a tool in the long-term structure of development cooperation. GIZ is implementing various initiatives using Sport for Development on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).
Priority areas comprise substantive and strategic policy advisory services, the development of Germany’s contribution to using Sport for Development with long-term national and international positioning, research support, and monitoring and evaluation for analysing lessons learned and measuring impact. Measures are being implemented in selected partner countries, i.e. Afghanistan, Brazil, Colombia, Indonesia, Morocco, Namibia, the Palestinian territories, Uganda and the Western Balkans (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Northern Macedonia, Serbia).
In these countries, GIZ is working with partners from the world of organised sport such as the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB), the German Football Association (DFB) and local partner organisations. Together, they are developing participatory methods and teaching and learning materials for using sport to aid the achievement of development goals. One such teaching and learning resource is the Kicking Youth Competencies manual on the use of sport to develop the skills of young people in the Palestinian territories. Targeted training is being provided to multipliers and teaching staff, for example female sports teachers at girls’ schools in Afghanistan.
Sport can be used as a means of acquiring new partners for German development cooperation. GIZ is working with governmental and non-governmental organisations, stakeholders form the worlds of sport, civil society, policy-making and business, and international organisations that are already using sport effectively to promote young people’s development.
Impacts
Afghanistan and Namibia: Project work here focuses on efforts to strengthen the position of girls and young women. Working with the Afghan Ministry of Education, it has developed a specialist school curriculum. In Namibia, 520 coaches were trained, thus reaching 13,600 children and young people. The construction of a girls’ centre on the premises of the Namibia Football Association (NFA) in Windhoek has created development opportunities for girls and young women. The centre provides a safe space for engaging in sports activities and learning. The portfolio is rounded off with tourism training, delivered in cooperation with partners from the business sector. Sports such as football and basketball are being used for a range of purposes, including health education and HIV prevention, and linked with life skills training.
Colombia and Brazil: Initiatives in Colombia focus on violence prevention, peaceful conflict resolution and the reintegration of internally displaced persons. A manual has been developed specially to support social reconciliation through sport. To date, 1,500 coaches have been trained, and 124 women and men have passed their instructor training qualification. Some 89,000 children and young people have been reached through these efforts. Work is also underway in Brazil on violence prevention and youth promotion, especially in high risk schools and disadvantaged neighbourhoods, where around 118,500 children and young people have so far benefited from the initiatives.
Indonesia: The curriculum of the Indonesian Football D licence was extended to include sports for development aspects, so that children and young people can be sensitised to topics such as life skills, health or conflict prevention in the context of football training. In 2018, the project trained 29 instructors, 380 teachers and 155 coaches in two provinces.
Morocco: In 2018, the project supported pilot municipalities in expanding the range of inclusive services to include sports activities. The services primarily target migrants, returnees and refugees.
Palestinian territories: Sport is being employed as a means of promoting vocational education and training, and preparing people for the job market. The initiative is designed to increase the appeal of vocational education and training, thereby supporting other vocational training programmes and units of German development cooperation. When used knowledgeably, sport can serve as a means of training people in personal and social skills (soft skills) such as teamwork, communication and decision-making, all of which are foundational for professional development. The programme has reached over 7,840 young people to date through different summer schools.
Uganda: Athletics promotes the personal development of disadvantaged children and young people and strengthens dialogue in the communities. In 2018, a Training & Resources Network was created, consisting of 24 Ugandan organisations or others that are accredited in Uganda.
Western Balkans: In 2018, local Sport for Social Inclusion Networks were established in Northern Macedonia, Albania, Kosovo, Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, offering sports-for-development activities in communities to promote the integration of marginalised groups. To date, 24 instructors and 96 coaches have been trained.
Britta Heidemann, a successful German fencer, is supporting the development priorities of BMZ and DOSB in her role as a Sport for Development ambassador. She is using her profile to raise awareness of sport and sustainable development, both among the public and within the world of sport. For example, Heidemann visited German development cooperation sports projects during the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, and reported on them in the media. In 2016, she promoted sport as a panel member of BMZ’s Forum for the Future.
Further ambassadors are the former national football players and World Cup participants Nia Künzer and Gerald Asamoah. As strong personalities with a strong social commitment, Künzer and Asamoah are visible social role models with strong opinions.