Organizations
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29-Oct-2015
Recalling its resolution 64/4 of 19 October 2009, in which it decided to include in the provisional agenda of its sixty-sixth session the sub-item entitled “Building a peaceful and better world through sport and the Olympic ideal”, and recalling also its prior decision to consider the sub-item every two years, in advance of each Summer and Winter Olympic Games,
Recalling also its resolution 48/11 of 25 October 1993, which, inter alia, revived the ancient Greek tradition of ekecheiria (“Olympic Truce”) calling for a truce during the Olympic Games that would encourage a peaceful environment and ensure the safe passage and participation of athletes and relevant persons at the Games, thereby mobilizing the youth of the world to the cause of peace,
Recalling further that the core concept of ekecheiria, historically, was the cessation of hostilities from seven days before until seven days after the Olympic Games, which, according to the legendary oracle of Delphi, was to replace the cycle of conflict with a friendly athletic competition every four years,
Reaffirming the value of sport in promoting education, health, development and peace, Recalling the inclusion in the United Nations Millennium Declaration1 of an appeal for the observance of the Olympic Truce now and in the future and for support for the International Olympic Committee in its efforts to promote peace and human understanding through sport and the Olympic ideal,
Acknowledging the valuable contribution that the appeal launched by the International Olympic Committee for an Olympic Truce could make towards advancing the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations, Noting that the Games of the XXX Olympiad will take place from 27 July to 12 August 2012, and that the XIV Paralympic Games will take place from 29 August to 9 September 2012, in London,
Welcoming the granting of observer status to the International Olympic Committee in the General Assembly pursuant to the adoption of resolution 64/3 on 19 October 2009 and the participation of the Committee in the sessions and work of the Assembly,
Acknowledging the joint endeavours of the International Olympic Committee, the International Paralympic Committee, the Office of the Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Sport for Development and Peace, and the United Nations system in such fields as human development, poverty alleviation, humanitarian assistance, health promotion, HIV and AIDS prevention, child and youth education, gender equality, peacebuilding and sustainable development,
Noting the successful conclusion of the first Youth Olympic Games, held in Singapore from 14 to 26 August 2010, and welcoming the first Youth Winter Olympic Games, to be held in Innsbruck, Austria, from 13 to 22 January 2012, and the second Youth Olympic Games, to be held in Nanjing, China, from 16 to 28 August 2014,
Recalling the articles on leisure, recreation, sport and play of relevant international conventions, including article 30 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities2 recognizing the right of persons with disabilities to take part on an equal basis with others in cultural life, recreation, leisure and sport, and noting that the 1948 Olympic Games, held in London, inspired the staging of the first organized sporting event for patients with spinal cord injuries, in Stoke Mandeville, near London, heralding the birth of a new global sporting movement for athletes with disabilities; the establishment of the Paralympic Games; and plans to stage integrated and inclusive Games for Everyone in 2012,
Recalling also that the main themes of the Olympic and Paralympic Games in London in 2012 are to host genuinely sustainable Games that deliver long-term social, economic, environmental and sporting benefits, helping to promote more stable, inclusive and peaceful communities and urban regeneration, addressing climate change, enhancing international relations and cooperation, and changing attitudes towards disability; and to inspire young people around the world to enrich their lives through sport, for example through the introduction of International Inspiration, the London 2012 international legacy programme,
Welcoming the commitment made by various States Members of the United Nations to developing national and international programmes which promote peace and conflict resolution and the Olympic and Paralympic values through sport and through culture, education, sustainable development and wider public engagement,
Recognizing the humanitarian opportunities presented by the Olympic Truce and by other initiatives supported by the United Nations to achieve the cessation of conflict, such as the International Day of Peace, established by General Assembly resolution 36/67 of 30 November 1981,
Noting with satisfaction the flying of the United Nations flag at the Olympic Park1. Urges Member States to observe, within the framework of the Charter of the United Nations, the Olympic Truce, individually and collectively, throughout the period beginning with the start of the Games of the XXX Olympiad and ending with the close of the XIV Paralympic Games;
2. Welcomes the work of the International Olympic Committee and the International Paralympic Committee to mobilize international sports organizations and the National Olympic Committees and National Paralympic Committees of Member States to undertake concrete actions at the local, national, regional and international levels to promote and strengthen a culture of peace based on the spirit of the Olympic Truce, and invites those organizations and national committees to share information and best practices, as appropriate;
3. Also welcomes the leadership of Olympic and Paralympic athletes in promoting peace and human understanding through sport and the Olympic ideal;
4. Calls upon all Member States to cooperate with the International Olympic Committee and the International Paralympic Committee in their efforts to use sport as a tool to promote peace, dialogue and reconciliation in areas of conflict during and beyond the period of the Olympic and Paralympic Games;
5. Welcomes the cooperation among Member States, the United Nations and the specialized agencies, funds and programmes, and the International Olympic Committee and, where appropriate, the International Paralympic Committee, to work towards a meaningful and sustainable contribution through sport to raising awareness of and to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals, and encourages the Olympic and Paralympic movements to work closely with national and international sports organizations on the use of sport to contribute to the Millennium Development Goals;
6. Requests the Secretary-General and the President of the General Assembly to promote the observance of the Olympic Truce among Member States and support for human development initiatives through sport and to cooperate with the International Olympic Committee, the International Paralympic Committee and the sporting community in general in the realization of those objectives;
7. Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its sixty-eighth session the sub-item entitled “Building a peaceful and better world through sport and the Olympic ideal” and to consider the sub-item before the XXII Olympic Winter Games and the XI Paralympic Winter Games, to be held in Sochi, Russian Federation, in 2014.
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