RES/24/1 Promoting human rights through sport and the Olympic ideal

GE.A/HRC/20/11. 3-17805

Human Rights Council Twenty-fourth session

Agenda item 3

Promotion and protection of all human rights, civil,

political, economic, social and cultural rights,

including the right to development

Resolution adopted by the Human Rights Council

24/1.

Promoting human rights through sport and the Olympic ideal

The Human Rights Council,

Reaffirming the purposes and principles of the United Nations, the Universal

Declaration of Human Rights and relevant international human rights instruments,

Recalling the relevant provisions of the key international human rights treaties, in

particular article 31 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and article 30 of the

Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities,

Recalling also the resolutions adopted by the General Assembly on the issue of sport

and Olympic Games, in particular its resolutions 66/5 of 17 October 2011 and 67/17 of 28

November 2012 on sport as a means to promote education, health, development and peace,

in which the Assembly emphasized and encouraged the use of sport as a vehicle to foster

development and strengthen education for children and young persons; prevent disease and

promote health, including the prevention of drug abuse; empower girls and women; foster

the inclusion and well-being of persons with disabilities; and facilitate social inclusion,

conflict prevention and peacebuilding,

Reaffirming previous Human Rights Council resolutions on the issue of sport and

human rights, in particular resolutions 13/27 of 26 March 2010 and 18/23 of

30 September 2011,

Recognizing the potential of sport as a universal language that contributes to

educating people on the values of respect, diversity, tolerance and fairness and as a means

to combat all forms of discrimination and promote social inclusion for all,

 The resolutions and decisions adopted by the Human Rights Council will be contained in the report of the Council on its twenty-fourth session (A/HRC/24/2), Part One.

Recognizing also the imperative need to engage women and girls in the practice of

sport for development and peace and, in this regard, welcoming activities that aim to foster

and encourage such initiatives at the global level,

Acknowledging the potential of sport and major sporting events to educate the youth

of the world and to promote their inclusion through sport practised without discrimination

of any kind and in the Olympic spirit, which requires human understanding, tolerance, fair

play and solidarity,

Noting the Fundamental Principles of Olympism as enshrined in the Olympic

Charter,

Acknowledging the joint endeavours of the International Olympic Committee, the

International Paralympic Committee, the Office of the Special Adviser to the Secretary-

General on Sport for Development and Peace and the United Nations system in such fields

as human development, poverty alleviation, humanitarian assistance, health promotion,

HIV and AIDS prevention, child and youth education, gender equality, peacebuilding and

sustainable development,

Reaffirming the need to combat discrimination and intolerance where they occur

within and outside the sporting context,

Recognizing that sport and major sporting events, such as the Olympic and the

Paralympic Games, can be used to promote human rights and strengthen universal respect

for them, thus contributing to their full realization,

Acknowledging the valuable contribution that the appeal by the International

Olympic Committee for an Olympic Truce, also known as ekecheiria, could make towards

advancing the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations,

Welcoming the hosting of the Olympic and the Paralympic Games in the cities of

Sochi, Rio de Janeiro, PyeongChang and Tokyo in 2014, 2016, 2018 and 2020 respectively,

and stressing the opportunity to make use of these important events to promote human

rights, especially through sport and the Olympic ideal,

Stressing the need to observe, within the framework of the Charter of the United

Nations, the Olympic Truce, individually and collectively, throughout the period beginning

with the start of the Games of the 2014 Winter Olympiad and ending with the closing of the

Winter Paralympic Games in Sochi,

Recognizing the potential of sport and major sporting events in contributing to the

achievement of the Millennium Development Goals, and noting that, as declared at the

2005 World Summit, sport has the potential to foster peace and development and to

contribute to an atmosphere of tolerance and understanding among peoples and nations,

Welcoming the recent proclamation by the General Assembly, in its resolution

67/296 of 23 August 2013, of 6 April as the International Day of Sport for Development

and Peace,

Being aware of the need to actively involve sport and the Olympics in achieving the

full and equal enjoyment of all human rights by persons with disabilities, as well as respect

for their inherent dignity, and welcoming efforts made by the hosting countries to create a

barrier-free environment for persons with disabilities at, inter alia, the 2014 Winter

Olympic games in Sochi,

Recognizing the need to reflect more thoroughly on the value of relevant principles

enshrined in the Olympic Charter and good sporting example in achieving the universal

respect for and realization of all human rights,

1. Welcomes the high-level interactive panel discussion held at the nineteenth

session of the Human Rights Council, which highlighted the ways how sport and major

sporting events, in particular the Olympic and Paralympic Games, can be used to promote

awareness and understanding of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the

application of the principles enshrined therein;

2. Takes note of the summary of the above-mentioned discussion prepared by

the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights;1

3. Calls upon States to cooperate with the International Olympic Committee and

the International Paralympic Committee in their efforts to use sport as a tool to promote

human rights, development, peace, dialogue and reconciliation during and beyond the

period of the Olympic and Paralympic Games;

4. Encourages States to promote sport as a means to combat all forms of

discrimination;

5. Requests the Advisory Committee to prepare a study on the possibilities of

using sport and the Olympic ideal to promote human rights for all and to strengthen

universal respect for them, bearing in mind both the value of relevant principles enshrined

in the Olympic Charter and the value of good sporting example, to seek the views and

inputs of States Members of the United Nations, international and regional organizations,

national human rights institutions, civil society organizations and other relevant

stakeholders in this regard, and to present a progress report thereon to the Human Rights

Council before its twenty-seventh session;

6. Decides to continue consideration of this issue in accordance with its

programme of work.

34th meeting

26 September 2013

[Adopted without a vote.]