Hassan Al Thawadi, Secretary-General of the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC), addressed a high-level meeting during the launch of the UN Global Program initiative on the Security of Major Sporting Events on Friday.
Al Thawadi discussed how SC is using sport to drive change through its football for development program, Generation Amazing, which has already benefited more than 500,000 people in Asia and the Middle East.
“Generation Amazing’s work follows the ethos that brings us together today - promoting tolerance and respect, empowering youth and women, and encouraging health, education, and social inclusion,” Al Thawadi said in a video speech to attendees of the event.
“Each of these factors plays a significant role in the wider aim of preventing the causes of violent extremism. We all recognize that ethos and the potential within sports for achieving these goals. It is incumbent upon us all to ensure that the United Nations and the global international community truly recognize sport’s power and utilizes that power to its fullest potential," he said.
The meeting comes within the framework of the UN Global Program on the Security of Major Sporting Events, and Promotion of Sport and Its Values as a Tool to Prevent Violent Extremism.
The event saw the participation of high-level speakers including HE Sheikha Alya Ahmed bin Saif Al Thani, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Qatar to the UN, Mohammed Hanzab, Chairman of the International Centre for Sport Security (ICSS), Dr Fadi Makki, Director of B4Development and Founder of Nudge Lebanon and José Mourinho, Head Coach of Tottenham Hotspur Football Club.
Dr Makki took part in the panel session entitled ‘Understanding contemporary forms of extremism and shaping international policies to tackle them through sport’ where he discussed his work in Lebanon.
Generation Amazing Programs Director, Nasser Al Khori, also participated in the event where he discussed the program’s impact at length.
“I am a firm believer that sports must be recognized as a cross-cutting theme for attaining the sustainable development goals,” Al Thawadi said. “The coalition of organizations and individuals from within the United Nations and from various other bodies and sectors is a very encouraging step towards that recognition.”
“In Qatar, we have recognized that potential and placed sports at the forefront of our nation’s future. We understand the precious responsibility we have of hosting the world in 2022 and ensuring that the positive effects of bringing the world together must be harnessed for a better future for our region and the globe," he added.
During his video message, Al Thawadi praised the work of Generation Amazing, which aims to positively impact the lives of one million people by the time the first ball is kicked at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™.
"By 2022 we aim to reach 1 million youth globally, empowering new generations of young leaders across the region and the world to transform their communities and generate exciting social development opportunities over the coming decades," Al Thawadi said.
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