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2 December 2021<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Excellencies,<\/p>\n Ladies and gentlemen,<\/p>\n My dear friends,<\/p>\n For millennia, humanity has recognized that sports can represent something beyond recreation.<\/p>\n Sport is a unifying force. It brings together people of every religion, race, ethnicity, and political background, to celebrate humanity\u2019s athletic prowess and potential.<\/p>\n It diverts energies from hostility and conflict towards friendly competition. It promotes an active lifestyle and supports our mental and physical well-being.<\/p>\n These truths were known and celebrated in antiquity, during the ancient Greek Olympics, and they remain relevant today.<\/p>\n I personally vouch for the mental and physical benefits of sports. Since entering public office and public life I have done a lot of running. Yes, some of that running has been for political office \u2013 but some of it has also been on the track and on sports fields.<\/p>\n My friends,<\/p>\n Sports can be a vehicle for both global peace and achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.<\/p>\n It can promote inclusive, gender-equal communities by opening the doors for everyone, regardless of background or gender, to pursue their athletic aspirations.<\/p>\n It can instill the spirit of camaraderie, of solidarity, and of teamwork, thereby reducing tensions and building bridges where conflict may otherwise take root<\/p>\n It can support quality education by promoting healthier bodies and minds, thereby improving academic performance.<\/p>\n Sports can relieve the psychological stress of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has taken a big toll on our collective psyche and left us so weary.<\/p>\n My friends, we are all keen to rebuild a better world and sports can help us do that.<\/p>\n We must look towards the 2022 Winter Olympics with that sentiment in mind.<\/p>\n As many countries prepare to gather in Beijing next year, let us acknowledge the key lesson that we have learned from the pandemic: all of humanity shares a common destiny.<\/p>\n As we watch athletes, representing every flag, every colour, and every background, compete in the Olympics, let us celebrate our common humanity.<\/p>\n Let us acknowledge our obligations to one another and to our planet. Let us reflect on the pointlessness of conflict and aspire for peace.<\/p>\n In that spirit, I heartily support the Olympic Truce Resolution, entitled \u201cBuilding a peaceful and better world through sport and the Olympic ideal\u201d, which the General Assembly is preparing to adopt.<\/p>\n This resolution, tabled and co-sponsored by China and many other Member States, urges Members to observe the Olympic Truce, individually and collectively.<\/p>\n I call upon all Member States to support the efforts of the International Olympic Committee and the International Paralympic Committee, and to use sport as a tool to promote peace, dialogue, and reconciliation.<\/p>\n I hope that the games will nurture friendship and be held in the spirit of camaraderie we need to rebuild a better world. A hopeful world. A peaceful world. A world aligned with the principles and the values of the United Nations Charter.<\/p>\n I thank you.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Remarks of H.E. Mr. Abdulla Shahid – General Assembly 42nd Plenary Meeting: Sport for development and peace <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":353,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[111],"tags":[],"committee-meeting":[],"class_list":["post-253547","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-speeches","et-doesnt-have-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"yoast_head":"\n