May 25th is World Football Day. At this opportunity, the "Football for Sustainable Development Goals Forum" was held at the United Nations headquarters in New York, bringing together representatives of the United Nations system and leading figures in the football industry to attend the first special event on "Promoting Change: Football and the United Nations Working Together to Promote Sustainable Development Goals".

The United Nations has long recognized the important role of sports in promoting sustainable development, particularly in areas such as peace, gender equality, health, and climate action. The resolution passed by the United Nations General Assembly in December 2022 once again confirms the important role of sports in achieving sustainable development goals.

Football is seen as having unique potential in promoting the implementation of sustainable development goals due to its widespread influence and inclusiveness. To mobilize the international football community to participate in this global agenda, the United Nations launched the "Football for All" initiative in July 2022.

This forum aims to further mobilize the resources and strength of the football industry to take strong actions in key areas of sustainable development goals.

The gathering point for promoting sustainable development goals
After speeches by Qatar's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, UN Press Secretary Dujarric, Global Communications Director Fleming, and several football industry executives, the forum kicked off with an opening panel discussion titled "Strengthening Community Participation in Sustainable Development Goals".

The discussion reviewed the origin of the "Football Promotion Goals" initiative and explored how the football industry can further participate and provide support for sustainable development. The attendees also briefly exchanged the commitments and efforts of the football industry in addressing climate change.

Subsequently, the forum focused on a series of substantive issues, delving into how football reflects and contributes to addressing real-world challenges such as the global North South divide and gender inequality.

A young girl from Shuo Trang Province in Vietnam is playing soccer at school.
UNICEF/Truong Viet Hung
to narrow the North-South gap
Julia Pimenta, representative of the Street Children's United Organization, pointed out that football organizations in the global South are providing services to the most vulnerable groups of children, but these organizations often lack funding and have to compete with institutions from the global North with more abundant resources.

Sara Van Warren from Nepal also stated that many grassroots organizations that combine football with sustainable development issues have not yet received the support they need to realize their potential.

The attendees emphasized that if these organizations can access more resources, they can create a safe and inclusive learning and growth environment for children, truly changing their destiny. Therefore, increasing investment in grassroots organizations is key to promoting sustainable development goals such as education, equity, and reducing inequality.

Advocate for gender equality
Jayasma Vikramanayak, Policy Advisor for Sports Cooperation at UN Women, stated that UN Women is committed to promoting Sustainable Development Goal 5- achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls.

She pointed out that the progress of gender equality in multiple fields is still slow, and even regressing, fundamentally due to the persistence of deeply rooted social norms, concepts, and behavioral patterns.

In the field of sports, these issues often manifest as wage gaps, gender discrimination, and sexual harassment. However, Vikramanayake and several attendees unanimously emphasized that sports are a powerful tool to break stereotypes, empower women and girls, and drive social change, helping them realize their own value and success both on and off the field.