As the world enters the final stretch toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030, growing global instability is placing added pressure on development progress. In this context, the 2026 observance of the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace highlights the power of sport to foster collaboration, strengthen resilience and unlock new pathways for inclusive growth. Under the theme “Sport: Building Bridges, Breaking Barriers,” this year’s commemoration underscores the urgent need to harness cross-sector partnerships and innovative approaches to accelerate progress.
Sport is increasingly recognized as a powerful enabler of peace and sustainable development – particularly for young people across the Global South. From grassroots initiatives to global platforms, it provides opportunities to build skills, promote social inclusion and offer alternatives to violence and marginalization.
In a meeting with UNOSSC Director Dima Al-Khatib, International Boxing Hall of Fame inductee, Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao, underlined that sport is particularly transformative for youth in the Global South. He underlined how his own experience and trajectory from childhood in poverty to global fame demonstrates how sport can open pathways to empower young people who are on the margins of society, opening channels to opportunities that keep them from being lured toward crime and violence and helping build capacities that enable them contribute to their communities and country.
Discussions with UNOSSC further emphasized the need to scale such impact through strengthened collaboration among countries and institutions. There was broad alignment on the importance of positioning sport not only as a social activity, but as a strategic investment with both immediate and long-term returns – benefiting individuals, families and communities alike.
Recognized within the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development as a key driver of social progress, sport contributes to advancing tolerance, empowerment, health, education and social cohesion. As momentum builds toward 2030, leveraging sport as a tool for South-South and triangular cooperation offers a practical and impactful pathway to bridge divides, break down barriers and accelerate shared development gains.
Read more on the International Day of Sport for Peace and Development.
