UNESCO launches a sports’ education initiative

“Physical inactivity, mental health issues and social inequalities are three intersecting crises that have been aggravated by COVID-19. New UNESCO data revealed that 78% of physical education teachers reported that the mental and physical health of their students worsened during the pandemic”.

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We interviewed Philipp Muller-Wirth, Chief of UNESCO’s Sport Section, on the new initiative that will mobilise cities, private sector, and government partners to make sports education a priority in the curriculum and life of young adults and children.

Several studies show the impact of sports on mental and physical health, including one on the economic and public health impact by the Union of European Football Associations that estimates that 40 Billion Euros are lost each year by not having children and adolescents participate in sports, in football (soccer) in particular.

Now UNESCO will focus on a program that will gather and analyse data to support the development and inclusion of sports education in the curriculum of primary and secondary schools, as well as high-schools around the globe.

Fit for Life will not be deployed only in developed countries but also in emerging economies that want to participate. In its second phase it will support countries to increase the offer of sports education to young people.

Fit of Life was launched last November at UNESCO’s General Conference. While still in the designing phase this ambitious global initiative has already received expressions of interest from France and Russia.

From the private sector comes NIKE (that is supporting the data analysis component at this initial phase to measure ROI (Return on Investment) on health and well-being.

The economic impact is estimated to be huge also if you think how the sector will generate well-paid jobs and will contribute to less spending on public health issues such as obesity and the nefarious results of sedentary lifestyles. Teenager and children are spending inordinate amounts of time in front of screens nowadays.

The National and International Olympic Committees, the International Para-Olympic Committee, the Commonwealth, the WHO are on-board, and various governments through their ministries of health, education, and sports have demonstrated interest.

Fit for Life has also gathered strong interest from various academic institutions in the US, including Harvard, to develop studies and policies that will connect the dots on the ROI (Return on Investment) of this initiative. Watch my interview with Philipp:

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Women in Diplomacy

September is around the corner and the agenda at the UN and its agencies is packed.

Here at The UN Brief we are getting ready to launch a series of interviews with the well-travelled and well-read women that have chosen a career in diplomacy and international relations. Women in Diplomacy are the first of a series on careers.

Wondering if a career in diplomacy is for you?

Hear directly from the diplomats and UN officials about how they became interested in a career in the service of their countries and what made them think of the UN and other multilateral organisations as a possible professional path.

What did they study at university?

Did they know from high-school or the idea came at their undergraduate studies?

Or did they have another career before shifting gears to diplomacy and international organisations? Or was it in graduate school that they thought they could join the Foreign Service of their countries? How did they go about making that leap?

We will be releasing the interviews during the UN General Assembly high-level segment, when heads-of-state speak in New York, from the 20th of September.

We have interviewed 12 women that are taking charge in their fields, for an in-depth review of what makes them tick, and the rewards and challenges of a career abroad in the service of one’s country or a career at a multilateral organisation like the UN.

Keep your eyes peeled for some great conversations.

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Taking Care of Your Mind and Body as a Diplomat

With that much travelling and adapting to new cultures taking care of one’s body by exercising regularly, doing something that enhances your proprioception, and tickles your mind, is of paramount importance.

Diplomats know that.

The UK Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva knows that. He posts frequently his early morning runs around Lake Geneva, and when travelling also. Exercising is not a chore, it is a lifestyle.

Simon Manley @SimonManleyFCDO

The Ligurian bay beside which DH Lawrence lived and wrote The Rainbow “..a little tiny bay half shut in by the rocks and smothered by olive woods that slope down swiftly” 🇮🇹🇬🇧 Morning run 🏃‍♂️

It is so important to keep your body in good shape to withstand the long debates and negotiations’ long hours sitting in to the wee of the night (remember the WTO 12 Ministerial Conference anyone?) these meetings are the bread and butter of the daily life of international relations professionals and diplomats.

WHO: Keeping Optimal Health

WHO established Global Centre for Traditional Medicine

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UNESCO: Fit for Life | Is a Career in…