UNOCT-NAUSS Symposium on Effective Management and Safeguarding of Major Sporting Events

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 with the Naif Arab University for Security Sciences (NAUSS) a symposium in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, on 27-29 May 2024. The event focused on addressing emerging challenges and sharing innovative practices in safeguarding major sporting events, while promoting sport and its values as a sustainable tool for preventing violent extremism conducive to terrorism.

The symposium brought together over 55 participants, including expert-level representatives from the Ministries of Interior, Sport, and law enforcement from Member States of the League of Arab States, as well as from Indonesia and Côte d'Ivoire. Also in attendance were representatives from the Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund (GCERF), the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC); the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO); the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO); the United Nations Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED); the African Union (AU); the Council of Europe; the Confederation of African Football (CAF), the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA); the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA); Inter Campus; and the Islamic Solidarity Sports Federation (ISSF), among others. 

The symposium served to strengthen public-private partnerships to enhance the safety and security of major sporting events and promote the use of sport for preventing violent extremism conducive to terrorism.