New UN resolution recognises IPACS efforts
Earlier this week, the United Nations (UN) General Assembly passed a resolution entitled “Sport as an Enabler of Sustainable Development”, which also highlights the importance of fighting corruption in sport and notes “the efforts of the International Partnership against Corruption in Sport (IPACS) established in 2017”. In the presence of International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach, the resolution was adopted by consensus by all 193 UN Member States.
Overall, the document aims to encourage Member States to integrate sport into national strategies for sustainable development. Corruption and organised crime are clearly a threat to such sustainable development.
In several paragraphs (pp. 5 and 8), the text calls on Member States to prevent corruption and organised crime at major international sports events like the Olympic Games, and to support enhanced cooperation between law enforcement authorities, relevant UN agencies and sports organisations. It also stresses the importance of awareness-raising and capacity-building activities across all key stakeholders, and highlights a number of related reports issued by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), a founding member of IPACS.
UN Resolution A/79/L.10 entitled “Sport as an Enabler of Sustainable Development” was tabled on 12 November during the General Assembly’s debate on the biennial report of the Secretary-General entitled “United By Our Common Goals – Ensuring the Impact of Sport on Sustainable Development and Peace” A/79/289).