Harnessing the Power of Sports to Strengthen Social Cohesion and Community Resilience in Indonesia

The United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT), through its Global Programme on Security of Major Sporting Events and Promotion of Sport and its Values as a Tool to Prevent Violent Extremism, co-organized a seminar in Bali, Indonesia, on 1-3 October 2024, with the Ministry of Youth and Sport of the Republic of Indonesia (Kemenpora). The event focused on harnessing the power of sport and its values to strengthen social cohesion and build community resilience through peacebuilding initiatives. 

This seminar was opened by H.E. Dito Ariotedjo, Minister of Youth and Sports of Indonesia, and convened over 220 participants, including representatives from Kemenpora; the National Counter-Terrorism Agency of the Republic of Indonesia (BNPT), police forces from Côte d’Ivoire; the University of Indonesia; the United Nations Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED); the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC); the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Secretariat, the Council of Europe, and the International Centre for Sport Security (ICSS). Also in attendance were delegates from the International Olympic Committee (IOC); the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), the Football Federation of Indonesia (PSSI), the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the Italian Football Federation, Islamic Sports Solidarity Association (ISSF), the Premier League, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA); Inter Campus and the Kenan Foundation, among others.

The event featured dynamic discussions on innovative approaches to integrating youth into major sporting events, promoting youth-led sport-based initiatives and advancing the leadership of women and girls in sport initiatives to prevent violent extremism conducive to terrorism. Experts also shared insights on organizing major sporting events, focusing on venue security, crowd management, and the role of public-private partnerships. 

The final day emphasized the importance of strengthening the safety of sporting events to foster community cohesion.  The seminar concluded with key takeaways and the development of a two-year action plan. This plan, grounded in the findings and recommendations of participants aims to promote innovative sport-based prevention practices in communities vulnerable to violent ideologies and to strengthen the security of major sporting events.