UNODC and the Dominican Republic have joined forces to promote sport as a tool for social development, with life skills training that helps youth build resilience to violence, crime and drug use.
UNODC's evidence-based life skills training, Line Up, Live Up - an initiative of the Global Programme for the Implementation of the Doha Declaration - offers a sports-based training curriculum of 10 sessions, transferring the accumulated expertise of the United Nations and other partners in working to prevent violence, crime and drug use, all in a sports settings. Through Line Up, Live Up trainers, working in various communities' schools and sports facilities, can help young people develop valuable life skills.
UNODC, with the support of Government of Tajikistan, conducted recently a three-day Line Up Live Up training of trainers event. The training was conducted in the context of UNODC's Global Programme for the Implementation of the Doha Declaration and its Regional Programme for Central Asia.
UNODC and the Government of Tajikistan demonstrate their commitment to using sports, not only to improve people's physical and psychological health, but also to promote mutual respect and tolerance and to teach important social and interpersonal skills that help youth to stay away from crime, violence and drugs.
"Fair play, tolerance and team spirit - sports have a unique potential to help develop and reinforce positive life skills and values, and expand prospects," noted Yury Fedotov, UNODC Executive Director at a high-level event on the topic 'Crime Prevention and Sustainable Development through Sport' held in New York this past week. Pointing to UNODC's 'Line Up Live Up' initiative that is being piloted in a number of countries around the world, the Executive Director also highlighted how the organization is helping to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, in particular SDG 16 which looks to peaceful, just and inclusive societies and those targets related to good health and well-being, education and reducing inequalities.
To coincide with activities for International Women's Day, UNODC and the Football Federation of the Kyrgyz Republic (FFKR) hosted a Women's Football Tournament in Bishkek in March. 150 girls from Bishkek and various villages surrounding the Kyrgyz capital participated in the tournament, which was aimed at promoting civic values and disseminating the benefits of sport in keeping youth away from drugs, crime and violence.
During the event, the participants also engaged in life skills training sessions delivered as part of UNODC's evidence-informed and sports-based curriculum, 'Line Up Live Up'.
Sports can contribute immensely to improving people's physical and psychological health. They also present the world with a universal language and a sense of belonging and support. In promoting mutual respect and tolerance, sports teaches important social and interpersonal skills. Using sports to help people, especially youth, has proven to be an effective tool in keeping them from falling into a cycle of anti-social behaviour, violence, crime and drug use.
At the recent celebrations of the National Sports Day in Doha, Qatar, Oliver Stolpe, UNODC's programme manager responsible for the implementation of the Doha Declaration Global Programme, stressed that "sports are an essential component of our modern society's goals, and it was only a matter of time UNODC leaned on them in its global mission to advance crime prevention."
