A Thousand Opportunities

A two- days International Sports and Development Conference was held at University of the Western Cape inSouth Africa on September 1-2 2010.

I managed to attend the Young Researchers Day, which was on the first day of the conference accompanied by staff and executive members of the United Nations Association of South Africa (UNASA), who were participating in the conference.

The sessions were on Sports and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Various speakers from all over the world spoke on how sports facilitated the achievement of MDG targets, empowered the youths and minority groups and enhanced gender relations, community reconciliation, social cohesion and peace.

UNASA was one of the organizations that supported and participated in the conference. Currently they are implementing two programmes. The Sports-in-a-Box project supported by UNA Canada; an initiative that aims to provide improved sports coaching and education for primary school pupils in disadvantaged schools, clubs and community service organizations. The project is also involved in developing youth leadership.

The second Project supported by UNA Sweden, using SIDA funds that are channeled through Forum Syd, is the Millennium Development Goals Awareness Programme with the aim of raising awareness on the eight goals amongSouth Africa’s national, regional and local governments, and among other civil society stakeholders, and to highlight the importance of achieving the goals by 2015. The conference was a merge of issues addressed by the 2 projects.