Article for 7th WORLD CONFERENCE ON SPORT, EDUCATION AND CULTURE

Seyed Amir Hosseini IZSF Secretary General participated in 7th WORLD CONFERENCE ON SPORT, EDUCATION AND CULTURE 5 to 7 December 2010 and it was very successful for him and as well as for IZSF.
The 7th World Conference on Sport, Education and Culture was organised in Durban, South Africa, by the International Olympic Committee, in partnership with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), from 5 to 7 December 2010. More than 600 delegates from National Olympic Committees, International Federations, Organising Committees for the Olympic Games, educational and cultural institutions, UN specialised organisations, governmental and non-governmental organisations participated in this Conference. Under the theme “Giving a Voice to Youth”, sessions were held and presentations made in plenary and specialised dialogue sessions. All discussions took place in an atmosphere of friendship and informed debate.

The Durban Declaration are given below:
1. Youth involvement
a. The involvement of young people in the programme of the 7th World Conference on Sport, Education and Culture has been the most important innovation in the organisation of the Conference. It has helped provide real meaning to the theme of the Conference. The participation of the young people involved was invaluable. Their enthusiastic contribution was the proof of how much they appreciated being able to get involved.. Also worth noting were the eloquence with which they made their presentations and the clarity
of their messages.
b. The Conference recommends that the involvement of young people, both as delegates and participants, be extended to all future forums and conferences in the Olympic Movement, and that they should be involved in actions related to implementation of policies and programmes that concern them, at all levels
of, and throughout, the sports movement.
c. The Conference calls on all governments to recognise that investment in young people – using sport as a medium – is an investment in national and community development.
d. The Conference reiterates the power of sport for youth empowerment and building self-respect, values and ethical awareness.
2. The Youth Olympic Games
a. The Conference acknowledges the great success of the first edition of the Youth Olympic Games, their on culture and education, and the positive impact that this had on the participants. The participants were motivated by the programme of the Games, and their aim of breaking down barriers between
nationalities and cultures was achieved.
b. The Conference recommends that methods be found for the spirit of the Youth Olympic Games to be extended beyond the Games. In order for the concept to fully reach its potential, the lessons of the YOG must be applied to the lives of young people between the Games, and at continental, regional and national games.
3. Collaboration between entities
a. The Conference acknowledged the collaboration between different entities with respect to the content of the Culture and Education Programme of the Youth Olympic Games, as regards delivering Olympic education, and concerning the organisation of the World Conference on Sport, Education and
Culture. This is in line with the Olympic Congress’s resolution for the Olympic Movement to take and strengthen appropriate measures to engage in the widest possible way with other supporting institutions, promote the delivery of the UN Millennium Goals, and further such initiatives.
b. The Conference recommends that NOCs should create working relations with national entities, especially governmental and non-governmental organisations, such as the UNESCO National Commissions, in order to ensure that sport is an essential part of school curricula. While this
relationship should take into consideration the need to respect each entity’s uniqueness and accountabilities, it is necessary that close working relationships be forged in order to ensure first that sport and physical education are part of the national educational curriculum.
4. Technology and the future of Olympic education
a. The Conference acknowledges that communicating with today’s young people is evolving fast, and that it is effective only if done “in their own language” – particularly through social networks and modern media. Technology is fast overtaking traditional means of talking with young people. The Conference
took note of the IOC’s well developed programme for communicating with young people from throughout the world through social websites. However, the Conference understands the need to continue to balance the introduction of modern technology with employing traditional means of communicating, respecting developing communities’ different traditions and realities.
b. The Conference recommends that national entities and the National Olympic Committees should follow the example of the IOC and other international organisations by encouraging young people to become content creators and users of modern technologies, and advocating strongly for young people to have access to such opportunities and tools.
5. Olympic Values Education Programme
a. The Conference acknowledges that the Olympic Values Education Programme is a unique and valuable programme that enhances the learning experience of young children and encourages young people and athletes to learn the human values of life. The programme has the potential to grow and
should thus be supported.
b. The Conference opines that, in order for the programme to succeed, it is necessary for national educational systems to be involved in its dissemination. Although the OVEP is a creation of the IOC, it is necessary to ensure that governments, in particular, see its value and therefore accept it as an
important addition to their own educational programmes. UNESCO is a valuable partner in the introduction of this programme in schools on a global scale. The possibility of introducing the programme through the UNESCO network opens vast new possibilities in the IOC’s effort to support values based education on a global scale. The Conference also sees this as a way for the Olympic Movement entities to form close links with UN agencies and other relevant organisations, as recommended by the Olympic Congress.
6. Observatory and data base for education and development
a. The Conference noted, with concern, that there were several good projects, especially being undertaken by NGOs in developing countries, aimed at educating young people in and through sport, but that they were unrelated to each other. These could, however, be more effective if knowledge and best practices were shared. Most such projects were donor-funded and driven, and were designed for, and applied to, economically challenged communities, especially in developing countries.
b. The Conference recommends that the IOC seek the collaboration of other partners in order to establish a web-based Observatory in which a data base of sports education, sports and culture, and all such initiatives could be made available to all. Such a data base can also be an ideal platform for sharing best practices, exchanging information and ensuring that resources are not applied unequally.
7. Educational programmes of the Organising Committees of the Olympic Games
a. The Conference acknowledges the tremendous effort that has been made by past and present Organising Committees for the Olympic Games, at the urging of the IOC, to create education and culture programmes for their populations, in particular. However, while many resources are expended in these exercises, the Conference notes, with concern, that, with a few exceptions, the programmes have tended to end with the related Olympic Games.
b. The Conference recommends that the IOC ensure that, as part of the country’s legacy for hosting the Olympic Games, the culture and education programmes should be continued. Cities that host the Games should undertake to continue their education and culture programmes. These programmes should be available to the Olympic Movement as a whole and, where possible, shared.

8. Anti-doping, drug abuse and related education
a. The Conference acknowledges the efforts that are being made by the Olympic Movement, especially by the International Federations, UNESCO and the World Anti-Doping Association to educate athletes and young people in particular, as well as the community in general, on the dangers of doping. It
also acknowledges the efforts made by UNESCO to ensure that all the world’s nations ratify the Convention of State Parties Against Doping and Sport. It urges countries that are yet to ratify the Convention to do so, and opines that the signing of the Convention should not be considered as an end unto itself.
b. The Conference recommends that further efforts be made to educate young people on the dangers of so-called “social” drugs and on other risky behaviour.