New York - The United Nations envoy on sport for peace  praised the London 2012
Olympic and Paralympic Games for their contribution to improve societies and
effect positive social changes.

“Since they had been awarded the 2012 Games, the London organisers had
repeatedly set out their ambition to host Games for everyone,” the UN
Secretary-General’s Special Adviser on Sport for Development and Peace, Wilfried
Lemke, said in a news release.

He added that the Government of the United Kingdom and the International Olympic
and Paralympic Committees and their partners had surpassed their objectives.

Earlier today, Mr. Lemke met Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in Geneva, where the
two men discussed the involvement of the UN system in the Games and the lessons
that can be learned for the future.

Various UN agencies took part in this year’s Games, which ended yesterday. The
Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), for example, collected
sports clothing that were sent to designated refugee camps around the world, and
the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) held an advocacy event as part of
the Africa Utopia Festival.

The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the UN
Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), and the
World Health Organization (WHO) also held related events during the Games; and
Mr. Ban participated in the Games by taking part in the torch run and carrying
the Olympic flag during the opening ceremony.

During their meeting, Mr. Ban and Mr. Lemke agreed to intensify the
collaboration between the Paralympic Movement and the UN, in order to continue
to advance the rights of persons with disabilities, their inclusion in society
and their well-being and empowerment, particularly through the UN Convention on
the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

The Convention is the first legally binding international instrument to address
the rights of persons with disabilities and sport. The Convention and its
Optional Protocol were adopted in December 2006, and entered into force in May
2008. Since then, it has been signed by 153 countries and ratified by 119 of
them.

The two UN officials also discussed the importance of future host countries
promoting the Olympic Truce, which calls for the cessation of all conflicts
during the sports event.

The Truce is based on the ancient Greek tradition whereby athletes, artists,
their relatives and pilgrims could travel safely to the Olympic Games and
afterwards return home safely. The modern-day version of the Truce has been
promoted annually through a General Assembly resolution since 1993, and it was
extended to the Paralympic Games for disabled athletes in 2006.

The resolution calls on Member States “to cooperate with the International
Olympic Committee and the International Paralympic Committee in their efforts to
use sport as a tool to promote peace, dialogue and reconciliation in areas of
conflict during and beyond the Olympic and Paralympic Games period.”

The resolution for this year’s Games was the first time that all 193 UN Member
States co-sponsored it and passed it unanimously. However, it was violated by
the continued fighting in numerous ongoing armed conflicts around the world.

Mr. Ban and Mr. Lemke agreed to encourage Member States to address the issue
during the upcoming meeting of the General Assembly on Sport for Development and
Peace, which will be held next month in New York.