This 2023 edition will mark the 10th anniversary of the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace (IDSDP), a unique opportunity to bear witness to the transformative power of sport, by organizing events and participating in the #WhiteCard digital campaign.
Under the motto “10 years united through the #WhiteCard”, Peace and Sport wishes to highlight sport’s growing recognition as a tool for peace, encourage the mainstreaming of sport as a tool for building more inclusive societies, and aggregate data on the concrete impact of peace-through-sport programs.
To encourage and support initiatives promoting this day, Peace and Sport offers a kit for stakeholders in sport for development and peace. Organizing a peace-through-sport event, deploying a giant #WhiteCard, participating in a TikTok challenge, sharing #WhiteCard photos, publishing content related to peace-through-sport… many initiatives can be implemented locally.
Joël Bouzou, President and Founder of Peace and Sport, declared:
“The recognition of sport as a tool for building a culture of peace has progressed considerably since the creation of the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace, 10 years ago. This is also reflected in the strength of the annual mobilization around April6.
Our #WhiteCard campaign is anchored on this day. It reminds a wide range of stakeholders of the significant influence that sport can have on our societies, and our responsibility to commit to creating a better future for all.
Globally, more than 717 million people have mobilized behind our vision over the years, with the essential involvement of athletes, and in particular the Champions for Peace, who tirelessly relay this important message. I would like to thank each and every one of them for their invaluable support, and I look forward to continuing our joint efforts to unite communities.
Today we are confident that sport is a vehicle for social change and together, on April6, we will make a difference once again.”
Several symbolic initiatives will be carried out on the occasion of April6.
– Togo:
Benjamin Boukpeti, Togo’s first ever Olympic medalist and Champion for Peace, and Jean-Jérôme Perrin Mortier, Peace and Sport’s CEO, will travel to Togo to attend the Friendship Games co-organized by Peace and Sport and Terres-en-Mêlées, a Peacemakers Project partner organization, on March 31.
– United States:
Six years after the launch of the campaign from the United Nations headquarters in New York, Peace and Sport’s President and Founder Joël Bouzou will discuss the link between sport and the Sustainable Development Goals in the virtual conference “Sport for Development and Peace: Playing for People, Planet and Prosperity” organized by UNDESA on April 6.
The President of Tibu Africa, a Peacemakers Project partner organization, Amine Zariat, will bring the voice of grassroots stakeholders to a conference organized by the United Nations Department of Global Communications, with the support of the Permanent Missions of the Principality of Monaco and the State of Qatar to the United Nations.
– Cyprus:
Four years after organizing the Friendly Football Day in Pyla, Cyprus, Peace and Sport will support an initiative led by the Winds of Change association in the UN buffer zone, to foster dialogue and cooperation between the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities through sport.
– Monaco:
On April6, the Princess Charlene Rally will bring together 400 monegasque students to raise awareness of the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace. Several Champions for Peace, including Paula Radcliffe, Pernilla Wiberg, Marlene Harnois, Kevin Crovetto and Pierre Frolla will talk about their personal journey and the unifying power of sport.
– Mexico:
A massive mobilization will be organized by the Alfredo Harp Helu Foundation, winner of the 2022 “April6 Initiative of the Year” Award, in partnership with Peace and Sport and the Mexican Olympic Committee.
Many iconic personalities have already participated in the #WhiteCard campaign, including Didier Drogba, soccer legend and Vice-President of Peace and Sport, International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach, Paris 2024 President Tony Estanguet, former French Minister of Sports Laura Flessel, Olympic boxing vice-champion Sarah Ourahmoune, and Olympic sprint champion Yohan Blake.
About the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace (IDSDP)
On August 23, 2013, the United Nations General Assembly, with the support of the International Olympic Committee, declared April6 the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace (IDSDP). This was a historic step in recognizing the transformative power of sport. Since then, Peace and Sport has been leading a global campaign to raise awareness of the potential of sport for positive social change.
https://www.april6.org/presentation/
About the #WhiteCard campaign
The #WhiteCard is a global digital campaign created by Peace and Sport that promotes the positive and empowering values of sport on the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace (IDSDP). Holding up a #WhiteCard, like a referee, has been recognized as a symbol of the peace through sport movement and it is an action that symbolizes the positive power of sport. Unlike the red card, which signifies the most serious infraction in sports, the #WhiteCard is a gesture of inclusion, equality and peace. Symbolically, the #WhiteCard allows sport organizations, international institutions, governments, athletes and civil society to act and promote themselves within the sport for development and peace movement and to identify themselves as socially conscious and committed.
