Unicef to help Commonwealth Games choose host cities and plan infrastructure
by Matthew Campelli | 07 Dec 2016
Unicef created a successful call to action during the opening ceremony of the Glasgow Commonwealth Games in 2014
The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) will consider human and child rights before deciding on host cities and infrastructure plans after partnering with Unicef.
For the next four editions of the Games, the worldwide children’s charity will advise the organisers on the credentials of each potential host city, as well as how proposed development plans for stadiums and athletes villages will affect the surrounding communities.
Talking at the International Sport Convention (ISC) in Geneva this morning (7 December), Unicef head of sports programmes Liz Twyford revealed that future Games would have the imperative to bring local people “into the heart of the discussions” so that host cities could create a “lasting and positive difference”.
Unicef worked with the Glasgow Commonwealth Games in 2014, creating a live call to action during the opening ceremony which raise £5m (US$6.3m, €5.9m), and Twyford said she was keen to see the mega event continue to change lives for the better.
Due to the nature of Unicef’s charitable work with children, the recent revelations surrounding historic child sexual abuse allegations in football predictably cropped up.
Twyford said that while the UK was generally regarded as “quite far ahead” of other nations in relation to safeguarding children in sport, the spotlight on football provided an opportunity for “safeguarding to be strengthened everywhere”.
Unicef is part of a global coalition that has published an eight-point plan on safeguarding children in sport, which Twyford hopes will be adopted around the world.
“The whole piece of work is developing universal safeguards that any organisation working with children can implement,” she said.
“Essentially, it’s eight core principles such as child protection policy and knowing who you are recruiting in terms of coaches and giving them codes of conduct. Surprisingly, a number of national governing bodies and international federations don’t have policies in place. We’re working with them so policies can be developed.”
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The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) will consider human and child rights before deciding on host cities and infrastructure plans after partnering with Unicef. For the next four editions of the Games, the worldwide children’s charity will advise the organisers on the credentials of each potential host city, as well as how proposed development plans for stadiums and athletes villages will affect the surrounding communities. Talking at the International Sport Convention
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