*Cross posted on The Rabbit Hole*
It was recently (quietly) reported that the United Nations Office on Sport and Development and Peace (UNOSDP) closed on April 30, 2017 as a cost-saving measure, a fact that is interestingly not noted on the actual UNOSDP website. The UNOSDP was created to capitalize on all the ways that sport can be used as a vehicle to achieve development goals. Wilfred Lemke was appointed as the Special Adviser to the UN on Sport for Development and Peace in 2008 succeeding Adolf Ogi. The job of the Special Adviser is three fold:
- lead and coordinate sport projects that contribute to poverty reduction, HIV/AIDS prevention, universal education, sustainable development, and inclusion of persons living with disabilities etc.
- encourage dialogue, collaboration, and partnerships between the UNOSDP and member states
- represent the Secretary General and the UN at global sporting events/meetings such as the Olympics, Paralympics, and World Cup.
The closing of the UNOSDP means that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) now has a direct line to the Secretary General. Given that the IOC is not a nation state, one wonders why the IOC is so invested in having the ear of the Secretary General. I asked my friend and colleague Dr. Nicolien van Luijk (@nicolien_vl) to offer her thoughts on the matter. Click here to read the full article...