THE role of sport in achieving economic goals for a sustainable development was discussed at the First Arab Conference on Sport under the slogan “The Role of Sport in Achieving Sustainable Development Goals”.
The conference was organised by the Ministry of Youth and Sports Affairs in cooperation with the United Nations Office in Bahrain and the International Council for Health, Physical Education, Sports and Recreation (ICHPER.SD).
Dr Hashim S Hussein, head of United Nations Industrial Development Organisation - Investment and Technology Promotion Office (UNIDO-ITPO), talked about the cluster of health and wellness “Green Lifestyle” in Bahrain, in the second session of the conference.
Dr Hussein said the programme aims to promote health concepts and healthy behaviours and lifestyles practices to prevent common diseases.
The conference came to a close yesterday at Art Rotana Amwaj Hotel in Muharraq. The concluding day of the conference focused on two themes, the first of which was the role of sport in executing the environmental goals for sustainable development.
Presented
It was presented by Dr Bander Al Saad of Saudi Arabia and Regional Development Coordinator for UNEP’s Regional Office for the West Asia region Melanie Hutchinson.
Al Saad focused mainly on the sustainability of sports facilities and its relevance to the needs of our society.
On her part, Hutchinson highlighted the opportunities to promote environmental awareness and motivate behaviour change through sport.
Yesterday’s other theme was the activation of sport partnership to achieve sustainable development goals.
It was presented by Community Engagement Manager at Tamkeen Ahmed Janahi.
Janahi made a short presentation on the company’s activities in Bahrain since its foundation in 2006, and noted that Tamkeen has so far donated BD1billion to individuals and institutions.
The conference concluded with more than 200 participants, headed by Youth and Sports Ministry’s assistant undersecretary Khalid Al Haj, in attendance.
Meanwhile, resident representative of United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and UN resident coordinator Amin El Sharkawi stressed the role of sport in uniting people from all around the world.
“The United Nations believes in the role of sport in achieving world peace by uniting people. Sport can also reduce their suffering, particularly in areas with political and ethnic conflicts, or those lacking necessary potentials, where poverty and other social problems prevail,” said El Sharkawi.