This three-year programme is aimed at strengthening the protection of major sporting events through enhanced international cooperation and sustainable security approaches while promoting the values of sport as a powerful means to counter terrorism and prevent violent extremism (PVE).
The ICSS, jointly with the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT), leader of the programme, the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI), the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC), in consultation with the UN Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) and the official participation of INTERPOL, have designed the programme with the following main aims:
- To increase UN Member States’ awareness of terrorism-related threats to vulnerable targets in the context of major sporting events;
- To increase the ability of Member States to prevent and counter threats against major sporting events;
- To promote sport and its values to build resilience especially among youth; and
- To prevent violent extremism.
The official launch of the programme and the first International Experts Group Meeting on the Security of Major Sporting Events took place at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, on February 3rd and 4th, 2020, attended by one hundred and sixty (160) participants from eighty (80) Member States and seventeen (17) international organisations, international and continental sports federations, private sector entities and civil society organisations.
The main expected outcomes of the Global Programme are:
- An annual high-level forum on the protection of major sporting events and the use of sports to prevent violent extremism.
- Establishment of a Global Network of National Focal Points (NFPs) both on major events security and on sport to prevent violent extremism.
- Organisation of a regional forum to enhance the exchange of information, best practices and experiences.
- Development of international, regional and national guidelines, models and good practices to understand, prevent, identify and counter threats against vulnerable targets in the context of major sporting events.
- Developing a global awareness campaign to prevent violent extremism through sport.
- Provision of small grants to support projects at the grass-roots level aimed at using sports and its value to prevent and counter violent extremism and radicalisation.
- Provision of training and capacity building across the different areas of work covered by the programme.
The programme is supported by the State of Qatar, the United Nations Peace and Development Fund (UNPDF – funded by the People’s Republic of China) and the Republic of Korea.
For updates, please see the programme newsletter.