At a special event held at the United Nations (UN) headquarters to coincide with the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace (IDSDP), the International Olympic Committee (IOC) urged governments, policymakers and UN leaders to invest in sport as a key driver for sustainable development. The IOC emphasised the importance of integrating sport into the discussions at the upcoming World Summit on Social Development, scheduled to take place in Doha in November 2025.
Speaking at the event – entitled “Advancing Social Inclusion Through Sport: Towards the Second World Summit for Social Development” – held in New York on 7 April, IOC Member and Permanent Observer to the UN Luis Alberto Moreno called on UN Member States and partners to further harness the power of sport for social development.
“Sport alone cannot create development and peace. That is our collective responsibility. But sport can catalyse and support social development and inspire peace. That is why I appeal to all of you – governments, policymakers and UN leaders – to give sport a place in the discussions at the World Summit on Social Development, because we need it now, more than ever.”
The event was co-organised by the Permanent Missions of Qatar and Monaco to the UN, alongside the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA). It brought together athletes, diplomats and UN officials to explore how sport can foster inclusion, address systemic inequalities and contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Sport-based initiatives are increasingly being prioritised by governments. On the eve of the Olympic Games Paris 2024, the Sport for Sustainable Development Summit brought together heads of state and the sports sector and led to significant commitments to invest in sport for sustainable development. In February 2025, at the Finance in Common Summit (FiCS) in Cape Town, development financing institutions agreed to support governments in using sport for development.
Nevertheless, sport remains underused for social development. As Moreno outlined: “This can change, and today there are more opportunities for governments to take advantage of sport as a low-cost, high-impact tool which can bring benefits for everyone.”
Sport also has the capacity to be a unifying force, especially in times of increasing global division, and Paris 2024 was a clear example.
Paris 2024 also stood as a symbol of inclusion. “It was the first Games with full gender parity on the field of play, demonstrating that equality in sport is not just an aspiration, but an achievable reality. These Games also highlighted the importance of sustainable and socially responsible sporting events, setting new standards for future global competitions and their legacies,” concluded Moreno.
Underscoring sport’s proven value as a driver of social inclusion, Moreno pointed to decades of UN policy frameworks – including the political declaration of the first World Summit in Copenhagen in 1995 – which have recognised sport as an enabler of social development and a powerful tool to advance the SDGs.
