Sylvie Ramanantsoa

Working with Strong Service Providers to Address the Urban Water and Sanitation Challenge

For many people around the world, it is simply impossible to imagine life without easy access to safe drinking water or a toilet, yet the lack of such basic amenities is still a fact of life for too many in the global South. While it is true that transformational change in the provision of basic services has been achieved in some countries over the past 15 years, millions remain without access to water and sanitation.

Plaza Grande in Quito, Ecuador, 2015 © Jess Kraft / Shutterstock.com
Joan Clos

Habitat III Is the Citizens' Conference of the United Nations

Habitat III is set to present a historical paradigm shift of urbanization as a tool for development. The Conference conveys a clear message that the pattern of urbanization needs to change in order to better respond to the challenges of our time and to address issues such as inequality, climate change, informality, insecurity and the unsustainable forms of urban expansion.

© Morguefile/ Kconnors
Nathalie Röbbel

Green Spaces: An Invaluable Resource for Delivering Sustainable Urban Health

Multisectoral collaboration among decision-making entities and the public will be critical, as no single ministry or Government can achieve climate goals alone. It is also important to integrate participatory processes in policymaking and implementation at both the national and local levels for effective governance to act on social determinants of health. Health perspectives can help shape city policies that drive cost-effective urban planning and related transport mitigation strategies.

© David Burnett
Thomas Bach

The Olympic Movement, the United Nations and the Pursuit of Common Ideals

In our highly interconnected and interdependent world, progress in safeguarding the values of sport and in strengthening sport in society requires cooperation. In order for sport to serve humanity, sport must engage with society.

© UNDPI/ Lindsey Thoeng
Maher Nasser

It's Never Too Late to Start Running

Had I not connected my run to a fundraising goal and received such overwhelming support, I would not have run 500 or so miles in the 20 weeks leading up to the Marathon, or been able to finish the Marathon itself. Committing to a goal that affects the lives of others was key to pushing myself to find the time and energy to run 25–30 miles a week.

© Grassroot Soccer/ Karin Shermbrucker
Michel Sidibé

Changing the Game for Young People in Health and Development

Football and other sports are helping to equip our youth with the knowledge to protect themselves and make informed choices about their health, but we need to go further. The world urgently needs to readjust its thinking on adolescent health and well-being. Young people no longer want to be passive beneficiaries they are becoming change-makers in their own right. They can serve as powerful partners for policymakers in building effective responses to the HIV epidemic that are evidence-based and proven to work.

Children play football at the ACAKORO Football Academy in the Korogocho section of Nairobi, Kenya, September 2015. © UNOSDP
Wilfried Lemke

The Role of Sport in Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals

After 15 years of progress towards the unprecedented Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the world has turned its attention to the successor Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a period of transition to the newly adopted 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

© UN Women/ Maka Gogaladze
Irina Japharidze

Georgian Rugby UNiTEs to End Violence against Women and Girls

Along with the relevant government agencies, international and non-governmental organizations, media and other actors, the public awareness-raising campaign conducted with the participation of Georgian rugby players has made a significant contribution to changing attitudes.

©UN Photo/ JC McIlwaine
Juneau Gary and Neal Rubin

Sport Promoting Human Development and Well-Being: Psychological Components of Sustainability

Youth participation in sport for development is gaining popularity and momentum because of its value in promoting life skills and the essentials of global citizenship.There is increasing recognition of the efficacy of humanitarian programmes that employ sport as a tool for intervention and change in geopolitically and culturally diverse contexts.

© The Jack Brewer Foundation (JBF WORLDWIDE)
Jack Brewer

Using Sport to End Hunger and Achieve Food Security

The core mission of The Jack Brewer Foundation (JBF Worldwide) is to provide relief to communities around the world suffering from extreme poverty and hunger, using sport as its catalyst. It is important to understand that nutrition and wellness are the basis for sport, incorporated in ways to instil healthy lifestyles, but also to rally together communities in support of a common denominator.

© UN Photo/ Logan Abassi
Simon Darnell

Sport as a Means of Advancing International Development

The growing and increasingly institutionalized field of Sport for Development and Peace suggests significant opportunities for the world of sport to make positive contributions to overcoming the most pressing social and environmental challenges of our time.

Sir Philip Craven

The Paralympic Games and the Promotion of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

No other event can empower individuals through social inclusion and societal opportunity like the Paralympic Games. Likewise, no other event can change the views of so many millions of people or stimulate Governments to create investment programmes or pass new legislation that will benefit many generations of individuals with impairments.

Yuna Kim

Sports Can Transform Children's Lives and the World

I believe that sport can transform the life of every child. Most will probably not pursue Olympic medals, but they will learn how to dream, pursue their goals and contribute to their families, communities, countries and the world.

© Deni Bechard
Shannon Galpin

Pedaling a Revolution

The Afghan women who ride today are pedaling a revolution. It may take decades before they normalize cycling for all girls, but with every pedal stroke they are standing up for their rights and inspiring others to do the same.

Maher Nasser

Foreword

The UN Chronicle, under the theme Sport Aims for the Goals, considers sport's role in improving lives and achieving the Agenda's Sustainable Development Goals. This issue explores the ways in which sport can enable individuals and communities to build a stronger, more harmonious world.