On the side-lines of the World Cup in Qatar, while the world is facing unprecedented geopolitical tensions, significant stakeholders in peace-through-sport will meet at the Peace and Sport International Forum in Monaco on 30 November. H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco, H.R.H. Prince Khaled Al Waleed, H.E. Dr. George Manneh Weah President of the Republic of Liberia and winner of the 1995 Ballon d’Or, and Raí Oliveira 1994 FIFA World Cup winner and Legend of PSG Football Club, will join Joël Bouzou OLY President and Founder of Peace and Sport and other prestigious guests to highlight sport’s contribution to peace. The 13th edition of the Peace and Sport International Forum will also include the following delegates:
- Representatives from International Organisations: Staffan De Mistura UN Under- Secretary-General and Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General for Western Sahara, Maher Nasser Director of the Outreach Division of the United Nations, Layne Robinson Head of Social Policy Department at the Commonwealth Secretariat, and Ollie Dudfield Associate Director, Olympism 365 at the IOC.
- Leaders from the sport world: Jean-Emmanuel De Witt AS Monaco General Director, Thierry Braillard President of the Foundation of French Sport and former Secretary of State for Sport, Sophie Lorant Paris 2024 International Relations Director, Shaima Al- Husseini Managing Director for Saudi Sports for All (SFA), Felicite Rwemarika IOC Member and Founder of the Organisation of Women in Sports (AKWOS), David Lappartient UCI President, and Nasser Al Khori Executive Director of Generation Amazing launched by the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy.
- Political leaders: Councillor Ian Ward Birmingham City Council Leader, and Philippe Rio Mayor of Grigny and President of Mayors for Peace France.
Experts and researchers: Pascal Boniface Director of the Institute of International and Strategic Relations (IRIS), Alex Culvin Global Policy and Strategic Relations at FIFPRO, Julien Sorez Senior Lecturer and Head of the UNESCO Chair at the University Paris Nanterre, Jennifer Browning International Relations at UK Sport and ENGSO - Equality Within Sport (EWS) Committee, and Ernesto Lucena former Ministry of Sport and Delegate for Human Rights and Sport at the Colombian Defensoría del Pueblo.
- CEOs: Laurent Prud’homme CEO of L’Équipe, and Henry Nidecker CEO of the Nidecker Group.
- NGO representatives: Amine Zariat TIBU Africa President, Aminata Makou Traore President of APJS-Mali, Lisa Travella Murawsky Naandi Foundation Sports Director Gerson Florez Founder of Cop Colombia International, Daniel Aceves President of the Alfredo Harp Helu Deporte Foundation, and Pierre Gony Founder and Director of Terres-an-Mêlées.
- Champions for Peace: Marlene Harnois OLY Taekwondo Olympic Medallist and Champions for Peace Representative, Honey Thaljieh Founder of the first female football Palestinian team, FIFA Corporate Communications Manager and Champion for Peace, Benjamin Boukpeti OLY Canoe-Kayak Olympic Medallist, Paula Radcliffe OLY - World Champion in marathon - and Venuste Niyongabo OLY 5,000m long-run distance Olympic Champion.
These high-level speakers will join several enlightening debates and roundtables that will deepen reflections on sport as an answer for peace:
1) Demonstrating the impact of sport for peace within communities
2) ‘The role of sport in building sustainable peace’
3) ‘Universal Sport: Football for the Goals’
4) ‘The Legacy of Major Sports events’ (including a live session from Qatar)
5) ‘Sport as a vehicle for gender equity’
6) ‘Teaching peace through sport, a paradigm shift? Meeting the educators’
7) ‘From local to global, the prerequisites for scaling up’
8) ‘Negotiation of peace agreements, sport as a facilitator? Meeting with a diplomat’
9) ‘Investing in peace through sport for tomorrow's world’.
Six Awards will be presented by Marc Maury and Anne Laure Bonnet during the Peace and Sport Awards ceremony, including the ‘Champion for Peace of the Year’ Award. The 2022 nominees comprise twelve organisations, including the Estonian Olympic Committee, the Ford Motor Company Fund, the 4-H Zimbabwe Foundation, the Birmingham City Council, and the World Karate Federation.
About Peace and Sport International Forum.
This year’s Forum will be a hub for key decision-makers, experts, and bright young talents, who will embark on a journey to explore the theme “Sport is an answer for peace.” This 13th Peace and Sport International Forum will be held in Fairmont Monte Carlo, located in the heart of the Principality, from 30 November – 1 December. This edition will mark the 15th anniversary of the creation of Peace and Sport, paying tribute to 15 years of peace commitment through the power of sport.