PPI Executive Director Brendan Tuohey recently attended In the Arena: Sport as a Catalyst for Development, a USAID-led panel at the 66th United National General Assembly. 200+ guests attended the event, including US government officials and world-renowned atheletes, such as baseball legend and humanitarian Pedro Martinez and basketball all-star and NBA Global Ambassador Dikembe Mutombo.
The purpose of the panel, which recognized sport’s growing role in international development, was to expand upon the discussion of how sport can be a tool for advancing development goals around the world. In addition to peacebuilding, USAID cited the power of sports-based programs to successfully address issues like global health, nutrition, education, and gender equality. PPI friend and USAID Senior Advisor on Sport for Development, Mori Taheripour wrote:
“The event was the first step of a new initiative that will be undertaken by USAID to strengthen the agency’s use of sport as a catalyst for development.”
PPI was honored to be included in such a forum, but more so, we are proud to see our brand of social change continue to gain traction with policy makers and government agencies. Sport’s new-found legitimacy in mainstream international development circles is exciting, and we certainly look forward to continuing the conversation and finding new ways to engage USAID and our growing network of partners.
