Sport: A driver of sustainable development, promoter of human rights, and vehicle for health and well-being for all

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine current momentum in the sport policy arena congruent with the sustainable development agenda. It presents two consensus frameworks endorsed by the UN that provide mechanism for coherent action to 2030. With a human rights backdrop it outlines the role of organisations operating in the domains of physical education, physical activity and sport (PEPAS), promoting multidisciplinary partnerships and aligning to global agendas that enhance health and well-being for all.

Design/methodology/approach

This position paper is a narrative literature review reporting on the status of sports policy frameworks in the UN system of relevance to the sport sector generally. It relates these to research evidence on the interlinkage between sport, human rights, health and well-being based on critical literature.

Findings

The advent of the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development, the Kazan Action Plan, the WHO Global Action Plan on Physical Activity 2018–2030 and allied developments across the sports movement provides an opportunity for revisiting and realigning the definitions and policy objectives of sport and health.

Research limitations/implications

The author’s bias as a UNESCO chair towards UN frameworks is acknowledged as is leniency towards physical education, PEPAS.

Practical implications

Multilateral agencies, health and sport authorities, are encouraged to review and leverage their resources and engage with the call for action of global agendas to improve public health.

Originality/value

This paper presents the global policy backdrop for action and investment in inclusive sport, physical education and physical activity. It presents a fresh new health and well-being perspective aligned to wider interdisciplinary agendas, on which sport organisations can make a significant contribution.

Citation

Masdeu Yelamos, G., Carty, C. and Clardy, A. (2019), "Sport: A driver of sustainable development, promoter of human rights, and vehicle for health and well-being for all", Sport, Business and Management, Vol. 9 No. 4, pp. 315-327. https://doi.org/10.1108/SBM-10-2018-0090