Historically, sport brings communities together. Sport helps spread positive messages and contributes to social inclusion and cohesion, strengthening understanding and respect for diversity and reducing stereotypes. This year’s International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime (9 December), focuses on the role of sports in promoting peace and inclusion and highlighting ways in which it can champion prevention of atrocity crimes through its work and outreach. Watch live the hybrid-event on 9 December at 11:00 a.m.

Eating healthy helps us all score for health.

FIFA and WHO launched the #BringTheMoves challenge, encouraging players at the FIFA World Cup 2022™ to meet the celebration challenges presented to them on social media by fans across the globe and encourage youngsters to #BeActive.

Fatema is one of 80 players who took part in the recent inaugural UNITY EURO Cup, an eight-team tournament organised by UEFA, the Union of European Football Associations, and UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, at the Colovray Stadium in Nyon, Switzerland. As a former striker for the Afghan national women’s team, she played 15 games and scored five goals for her country before fleeing in the aftermath of the Taliban’s takeover in 2021. Each team consisted of a mix of refugee and national amateur players, both female and male. 

Champion footballer Didier Drogba, the WHO Goodwill Ambassador for Sport and Health, joined senior leaders of WHO, the State of Qatar and FIFA in supporting the Healthy FIFA 2022 World Cup Qatar 2022™: Creating Legacy for Sport and Health. This unique global partnership protects and encourages health; and will take lessons learned from the first tournament in the Middle East and Arab world to share with future mega sporting events.

UNHCR announces the winners of the second annual Youth with Refugees Art Contest – the online sale of footballs featuring the designs will raise funds for sport programmes for refugees.

UNHCR celebrates the 29 refugee athletes heading to Tokyo. They will compete in 12 Olympic sports, bringing further awareness to the plight of over 80 million displaced people worldwide.

‘The Journey’ is a calling for global support of the Refugee Teams competing at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The Refugee Olympic and Paralympic athletes have a story like no other. Their stories highlight the power of sport to rebuild lives and bring hope to those forced to flee.

Sport can help promote fairness, teambuilding, equality, inclusion, and perseverance. Sport can also cross boundaries and defy stereotypes, inspire hope across nations, and help us get through times of crisis, like COVID19. The International Day of Sport for Development and Peace (6 April) presents an opportunity to recognize the role that sport and physical activity plays in communities and in people’s lives. Let’s help end the pandemic by ensuring everyone is protected from COVID-19. Let’s level the playing field and recover better. #OnlyTogether will we play or cheer again. #SportDay

UNHCR today announced the appointment of Alphonso Davies, FC Bayern Munich’s left-back and player for Canada Men’s National Football Team, as its newest Global Goodwill Ambassador.

FIFA teams up with WHO to promote the need for fair access to COVID-19 vaccines, treatments and diagnostics, to encourage life-saving measures and to stop the further spread of the virus.