Working Group 1 focuses on integrating sport in development areas including health, education and peacebuilding. They work to promote the inclusion and safeguarding of women and girls, marginalised communities, and people with a disability.
Commonwealth governments will convene in Paris, France, for the 11th Commonwealth Sports Ministers Meeting (11CSMM) from 24-25 July 2024 to advance Commonwealth consensus and cooperation on key sports policy and practice issues.
Building Inclusive and Resilient Societies through Sport
The meeting, convened by the Commonwealth Secretariat and hosted by the government of Canada, will be held in the margins of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games, scheduled to take place from 26 July to 11 August 2024.
Held under the theme 'Building Inclusive and Resilient Societies through Sport', the meeting will offer delegates an opportunity to discuss strategies for enhancing sports development, promoting youth participation, and fostering unity through sport.
Sports ministers and senior officials from across the Commonwealth will also discuss complementary initiatives to optimise the reach of Commonwealth investments in sport, physical activity and physical education.
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Preparing for CHOGM 2024
The proposed agenda for 11CSMM has been drafted in consultation with the Government of Canada and the Commonwealth Advisory Body on Sport (CABOS). It also draws upon the outcomes of 10CSMM held in July 2022 in the margins of the Birmingham Commonwealth Games.
11CSMM will also focus on practical actions to build inclusive and resilient societies through sport, in line with the broader theme and priorities of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Samoa in October 2024.
Agenda and location
The following key events will be held during this period:
- Virtual Sports Senior Officials Briefing
Tuesday, 11 June 2024 - Sports Senior Officials Meeting (SOM)
Wednesday, 24 July 2024 - Commonwealth Secretary-General’s Welcome Reception
Wednesday, 24 July 2024 - Commonwealth Sports Ministers Meeting (CSMM)
Thursday, 25 July 2024
All plenary sessions of this meeting and the Secretary-General’s Reception will be held at the Conference Facilities of the Le Meridien Etoile, Paris, France.
Le Meridien Etoile
81 Boulevard Gouvion Saint-Cyr
75848 Cedex 17
75017 Paris
France
Media accreditation
Bonafide journalists from legitimate media organisations are invited to apply for media accreditation to attend the opening session of the 11CSMM on 24 July 2024 to hear the Minister’s opening remarks and to take photos. The other sessions of the meeting are closed to the media. As spaces are limited, only successful media will be permitted to attend.
Please note that requesting accreditation does not confirm successful media accreditation. Journalists must receive confirmation from the Secretariat that accreditation has been approved.
Submit a media accreditation form
For any other media enquiries, please email [email protected].
For general enquiries about the meeting, please contact Layne Robinson, Head of Social Policy Development at the Commonwealth Secretariat, at [email protected].
Background on CABOS
The Commonwealth Advisory Body on Sport (CABOS) was established by leaders at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Abuja in 2003 and endorsed by Commonwealth Sports Ministers in Athens in 2004. CABOS’s overarching mandate is to advise on Sport for Development and Peace (SDP)/Sustainable Development in and through Sport and on protecting the integrity of sport.
CABOS reports to the Commonwealth Secretary-General, to Commonwealth Sports Ministers Meetings and, through the Commonwealth Secretariat, to member governments and key stakeholders.
The current Co-Chairs for CABOS are David Rutherford, Director of Tūhana Business & Human Rights Limited, and Chris Jenkins, President of the Commonwealth Games Federation.
There are four working groups supported by member governments and experts:
The purpose of CABOS Working Group 2 is to support the development of advice on Sport Integrity for all sport in accordance with CABOS’s Terms of Reference. Their mandate includes the following sport integrity issues:
- Prevention of abuse and harassment in sport through safeguarding in sport.
- Preserving the rights, safety and security of athletes, spectators, workers, and other groups involved.
- Fostering good governance of sports organisations.
Working Group 3 acts as an advisory board to the Commonwealth Secretariat staff engaged in the delivery of the Commonwealth non-communicable diseases (NCDs) strategy.
At 10CSMM Ministers welcomed the collaboration between the Commonwealth Secretariat and the World Health Organisation (WHO). Ministers also noted the creation and implementation of a Commonwealth non-communicable diseases (NCDs) strategy including Commonwealth Moves, to provide a systematic approach in utilising sport, physical activity and improved diet as key interventions for reducing the incidence of NCDs across the Commonwealth.
Working Group 4 looks at identifying new issues or threats and identifies any existing threats and issues that are becoming more important to sports ministers, thus setting the agenda and focus of the next term of CABOS.
Among the sporting issues this working group will consider are investment in sustainable development in and through sport, technology that will change sport, and the effect of climate change on sport.
Massive Open Online Course
The Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) - Sport for Sustainable Development: Designing effective policies and programmes - has been a major success since its launch in July 2020. Over 7,000 learners from 191 countries, across all six continents have joined with positive feedback from learners and other stakeholders.
In June 2024, the first hybrid MOOC workshop was held at the African Union Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. 21 officials from 12 African countries met to network, share their learnings and further build their capacity to maximise sport for development in their respective countries.
The findings from this pilot will be presented at the 11th Commonwealth Sports Ministers’ Meeting (11CSMM) ahead of the Paris Olympics.
The free 8-week course is available online and is designed to build capacity for individuals and organisations using sport for sustainable development in their policies and programmes. The MOOC has been developed and managed by the International Platform on Sport and Development, the Australian Government and the Commonwealth Secretariat.
Sign up for the course:
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