77th session of the General Assembly: “Sport: Catalyst for a Better, Stronger Recovery”

The 2022 Report of the Secretary-General reviews progress over the last two years to apply sport for development and peace. The Report highlights adaptations to deliver sport during the COVID19 pandemic, noting the potential to apply innovations to scale up impact. The Report analyses the potential for sport to play a catalytic role in countries’ efforts to “build back better”, arguing that sport is well suited to help address pandemic-related increases in inequalities, mental health challenges, out-of-school and work youth, social unrest, violence, and physical inactivity.  In the context of broader recovery efforts, the Report outlines how sport can be maximized as a low-cost, high-impact tool to rebuild solidarity within and between countries, deliver concrete benefits to people in the short term, while generating wider societal level change in line with the Sustainable Development Goals. Drafted at the request of the UN General Assembly, the Secretary General Report draws on the contributions of 16 Member States, 7 UN system entities and 81 public and private entities, including community groups, universities, businesses, and sports leagues.  To inform the Report, the UN organized the Multi-stakeholder Dialogue on The Role of Sport in Addressing Inequalities in Times of Crisis and Recovery in April 2022. 125 participants attended from 24 countries, including experts, Member State representatives, and practitioners. 

Download the Report and learn more about the inputs from Member States, the UN System and Stakeholders.