The Commonwealth Advisory Body on Sport has focussed on the link between sports and the Sustainable Development Goals at its annual meeting
The Commonwealth Advisory Body on Sport has focussed on the link between sports and the Sustainable Development Goals at its annual meeting.
Co-conveners the Commonwealth Secretariat and Commonwealth Games Federation attended the meeting, held on the Gold Coast in Australia between 11-13 October, 2017.
Participants recommended the collaboration of government, civil society, the private sector and sporting organisations in realising sustainable development aims.
In assembling sports policy guidance for ministers, The Commonwealth Advisory Body on Sport (CABOS) wants to increase support given to governments for data collection.
As data varies across Commonwealth countries, CABOS recommended governments improve the quality and consistency of data collection on sports.
This then will help countries to assess whether their current national sport policies meet Sustainable Development Goals.
Their findings will inform the upcoming Commonwealth Sports Ministers Meeting in April, 2018 for which CABOS members have also endorsed its theme: `Strengthening policy coherence to maximise the benefits of investing in sport.’
Louise Martin CBE, Chair of the Commonwealth Advisory Body on Sport, said: “This year’s CABOS meeting identified key areas that need to be addressed by member countries to ensure coherence between efforts to maximise the role of sport in advancing sustainable development and the need to protect the integrity of sport and human rights.”
“Sport can play an important role in addressing some of the most challenging global issues… A more consistent approach across the Commonwealth to measure these contributions will enable member countries to gauge their progress and understand the return on investment in sport.”
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