U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Olympic Committee chief Thomas Bach Monday signed an agreement between their organizations, marking an "historic step" in their cooperation to promote the role of sport in development and peace. "Sport has great power in bringing people together," Ban said following the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding at U.N. Headquarters in New York, where he thanked the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the wider Olympic movement for being "such a steadfast partner of the United Nations." To further this effort, Ban announced the appointment of Jacques Rogge of Belgium, the former IOC President and currently its honorary president, as his special envoy for youth refugees and sport. A former Olympian, Rogge will help promote sport as an empowerment tool for youth from displaced and refugee communities towards peace, reconciliation, security, health, education, gender equality, and a more inclusive society, according to Ban's spokesman. In conflict areas such as Syria, the Central African Republic, and South Sudan, and in the neighboring countries that host millions of refugees, "sport has a role to play in helping to restore at least some sense of normalcy," Ban said. Sport can also motivate children to enroll and do well in school, empower girls and women by providing opportunities for leadership and accomplishments, and help reach many groups and communities with important messages on HIV/AIDS and other diseases, drug abuse, and environmental protection. It can "be used to bridge cultural, religious, ethnic, and social divides," Ban stressed. -- SPA 23:30 LOCAL TIME 20:30 GMT تغريد
