Organised by the IOC, the forum should bring together politicians, NGOs and stakeholders from the academic world, as well as UN bodies, to share best practice and discuss ways to boost sport as a tool for development.
Planned topics to be addressed include the role of sport in achieving the UN Millennium Development Goals and the impact of physical activity on the development of deprived populations.
The forum will also address "the question of how to pool resources and support to invest in sport for development cost-effectively," for example, via synergies with partnerships.
The initiative comes as actors both in and outside the sports family increasingly recognise the value of sport as a tool for development and peace-building.
An example of a recent IOC contribution to sport for development include participation in a project to clear outdoor sports areas of landmines in a war-affected area in Azerbaijan. The project, conducted together with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), aimed at creating "safe play areas" and provide basic sports equipment to enable children to play.
The forum outcomes will be further discussed in October by the Olympic Congress, which will consider, among other things, the topic of Olympic Games, universality and developing countries.
Sport has so far not been a priority of the EU's development policy, but back in June 2006, the Commission signed a Memorandum of Understanding with FIFA to promote football as a factor for development in the ACP (African, Caribbean and Pacific) countries. There has not been any tangible follow-up to this initiative yet, as no funding for sport for development was earmarked in the current long term budget of the EU (2007-2013).
According to a Commission official, sport-related development activities are however made possible via the Commission's foreign delegations, upon request from partner countries.
The EU executive hopes to secure funding for sport and development projects in the bloc's next long term budget, after 2013, the officical told EurActiv.
