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The Department of Economic and Social Affairs is pleased to announce that the 2026 International Day of Sport for Development and Peace will spotlight the theme “Sport: Building Bridges, Breaking Barriers,” underscoring sport’s unique capacity to foster connection, inclusion, and peace in an increasingly fragmented world. As a universal language that transcends cultural, social, and boundaries, sport serves as a powerful catalyst for social transformation. Sport connects communities across borders and generations, reducing isolation among marginalized groups, and creating spaces for dialogue, solidarity, and mutual respect.
The 2026 International Day will highlight evidence-based approaches and best practices demonstrating how sport contributes measurably to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, particularly in advancing health, gender equality, reduced inequalities, and peaceful, inclusive societies. Through dialogue, partnerships, and shared experiences, IDSDP 2026 will reaffirm sport’s role as a strategic tool for building bridges between people and breaking down barriers to inclusion, leaving no one behind.
