THE COMMONWEALTH Secretary-General has outlined how sport can be harnessed to boost international development by “changing perceptions and altering attitudes”.
Speaking at the Commonwealth Games Federation General Assembly in Kigali, Rwanda, Baroness Patricia Scotland, said the “wide appeal and reach” of sport can be used to “accelerate progress” in areas such as gender equality and political inclusivity.
She said: “With the spirit of goodwill and through the respect and understanding which are signature characteristics of the Commonwealth Sport Movement, mutual encouragement flourishes across boundaries of regional and national affiliation or other allegiances of culture or identity.”
The Secretary-General added: “I am strongly committed personally in my determination to mobilise additional resources to ensure more communities throughout the Commonwealth can benefit from the positive contribution the most popular of our Commonwealth sports can
make.”
The President of the Commonwealth Games Federation, Louise Martin, said: “All of us across the Commonwealth and the Commonwealth Sports Movement must work hard to shift the dial on human rights and mega sporting events.
Put simply, we are 100 per cent committed to upholding the ideals and principles that underpin our respect and protection of human rights in all that we do.