Co-creating Cultures for the Future Week
Celebrating Sport for Development and Peace: Co-Creating Cultures Through Sport and Diplomacy
United Nations
UNITAR and the Japan Sport Council will celebrate the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace at the World Expo 2025 with the theme “Co-Creating Cultures Through Sport and Diplomacy.” Interactive exhibits will include a community wall and sport-tech activities to highlight sport's role in social inclusion, peacebuilding, and sustainable development. This will be followed by a workshop targeting professionals and visitors, exploring sport's strategic impact on achieving the SDGs. This initiative aims to inspire global audiences to embrace sport’s unifying power and foster inclusive, resilient cultures for a better future.
Discussion
- Sport #Sustainable Development #Peace
| Transmission of simultaneous interpretation | Provided |
|---|---|
| Language of interpretation | Japanese and English |
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Track Programme
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Time and
Date of
the event -
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2025.05.04[Sun]
13:45 ～ 16:30
(Venue Open 13:30)
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- Venue
- Theme Weeks Studio
Programme details
The United Nations Institute for Training and Research and the
Japan Sport Council will be celebrating the International Day
of Sport for Development and Peace, “Celebrating Sport for
Development and Peace: Co-Creating Cultures Through Sport and
Diplomacy” at the Osaka World Expo 2025. Interactive exhibits
at the Expo will engage visitors with activities like
immersive videos, entertaining sport activities combined with
modern technology: virtual rowing in cooperation with the
World Rowing, and a community engagement wall, with the goal
of showcasing how sport can inspire social inclusion,
peacebuilding, and sustainable development, and encourage
visitors to think, what does sport mean to you and society?
The activities will culminate in a Workshop on Sport for
Development and Peace, targeted at professionals from sports
industries, policymakers, academia, and the private sector,
but open to all visitors to the Expo. This workshop, provided
by the Japan High Performance Sport Center of JSC, will
explore the strategic use of sport to advance the Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs), offering participants practical
insights through interactive discussions and case studies on
how to promote gender equality, social inclusion,
environmental sustainability and more through sport. By
celebrating the unifying power of sport, this initiative seeks
to inspire global audiences to co-create inclusive and
resilient cultures for the future.
Reports
【Reflection】
The UNITAR-JSC initiative at Expo 2025 Osaka effectively
demonstrated the potential of sport to foster sustainable
development and peace. The workshop held on 4 May provided a
high-impact platform for knowledge sharing, stakeholder
engagement, and visibility.
The event successfully brought together experts,
practitioners, and the general public, fostering inclusive
dialogue and reinforcing the strategic role of sport in
contributing to achieving the SDGs. The combination of panel
discussions and interactive elements, such as the virtual
rowing machine sessions, enriched the learning experience and
contributed to increased public awareness.
The initiative also enabled new partnerships and synergies
among institutions active in the field of sport and
development. Overall, the programme demonstrated the strategic
value of leveraging a global platform like Expo 2025 to
promote sport for development and peace, raise awareness on
sport’s contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals, and
foster inclusive, multistakeholder dialogue.
The visibility and international reach of the Expo provided a
unique opportunity to engage diverse audiences and amplify key
messages on the role of sport in sustainable development.
【Post EXPO initiatives】
Following the success of the workshop at Expo 2025 Osaka,
UNITAR and JSC are committed to building on the momentum
generated by this initiative. Both partners shared highlights
and results of the event through their official social media
platforms, increasing visibility and engagement with wider
audiences.
Additionally, participant feedback was collected to assess
impact and inform the design of future activities. UNITAR and
JSC will continue to build capacity of stakeholders around the
world to use sport for sustainable development.
Cast
Speakers
Emma Sherry
Professor, Dean, School of Management, College of Business and Law, RMIT University
She specialises in the area of sport for development,
and she has undertaken a broad range of research
projects with national and regional sport
organisations in Australia and globally including the
Commonwealth Secretariat, Victorian Government,
VicHealth, Netball Australia, National Rugby League,
Australian Football League and Tennis Australia.
Other recent research has included access and equity
in sport participation, social impact of sport,
sport's contribution to the sustainable
development agenda, and sport and recreation for
at-risk and marginalised communities.
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Masakuni Hosobuchi
President, Sanwa Co., Ltd.
In addition to being a successful businessman leading
a comprehensive food packaging container manufacturer,
he also plays important roles as a Council member of
the World Rowing, Vice President of the Asian Rowing
Federation, and Executive Director of Planning and
Management of the Japan Rowing Association. He is well
versed in all aspects of rowing, from an international
governing body to a national sport organisation, and
makes use of his knowledge and experience.
He played a leading role as team manager of the
Japanese rowing team at the Athens 2004 Olympic Games
and the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.
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Etsuko Yamada
Head of International Sport for Development, Japan High Performance Sport Center, Japan Sport Council
Together with sportanddev, she has developed the
“Bridging the Divide” guidebooks in English, Japanese
and Spanish to build the capacity of policy makers and
practitioners to use sport as a tool for sustainable
development.
Appointed by the Organising Committee for the Olympic
and Paralympic Games Paris 2024, she plays a role as a
member of the Supervising committee of the Evaluation
of the Paris 2024 Impact & Legacy strategy. She
has had experience in working as a Programme Officer
for the United Nations Office on Sport for Development
and Peace (UNOSDP) in Geneva.
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Co-organiser
Japan Sport Council
United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR）
Co-creating Cultures for the Future Week
Celebrating Sport for Development and Peace: Co-Creating Cultures Through Sport and Diplomacy
UNITAR and the Japan Sport Council will celebrate the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace at the World Expo 2025 with the theme “Co-Creating Cultures Through Sport and Diplomacy.” Interactive exhibits will include a community wall and sport-tech activities to highlight sport's role in social inclusion, peacebuilding, and sustainable development. This will be followed by a workshop targeting professionals and visitors, exploring sport's strategic impact on achieving the SDGs. This initiative aims to inspire global audiences to embrace sport’s unifying power and foster inclusive, resilient cultures for a better future.
-
2025.05.04[Sun]
13:45～16:30
(Venue Open 13:30)
- Theme Weeks Studio
OTHER PROGRAM
Co-creating Cultures for the Future Week
