Public-Private Alliance and Development of Football in South Asia

Football is undoubtedly the most popular sport in the world in terms of visibility and a participation of more than 207 countries/ territories. It has far transgressed the traditional domain of Olympian spirit has turned into a complex process that affects our lives at macro, micro, and individual levels.

The South Asian region can be said to be at the periphery as far as global football scenario is concerned. Even in the times of globalisation the region can not contribute towards or gain from the developments happening in the sport. The nations have failed miserably to enmesh the sport in the very fabric of life of the region. The dismal rankings of the South Asian countries in the FIFA World rankings do not do justice to the abundance of talent and potential the region encompasses but yet remains unexploited.

Globalisation has increased the number of stakeholders in the sport at the national and regional level by squeezing the time and space. It has also presented the local mandarins of the sport an opportunity to learn from the best practices from across the world and imbibe the lessons learnt in a South Asian context. The process would emphasize on the fast-track development by assimilating practices and procedures that expedite the development of sport rather than reinventing the wheel. This would result in percolation and empowerment of the sport even in the remotest corners of the region.

Like in other fields Public-Private participatory mechanisms should be explored towards sustainable development of football in the region. The Global Sports for Peace is a brilliant example of this partnership that is on in 6 countries at the moment and plans to commence in South Asia in 2006. A brainchild of HE Remigio Maradona who heads the CISRI-ISP permanent observer mission at the United Nations, the program was known as Futbol4Peace till 2005. The Global Sports for Peace Programme has United Nation's Secretary General's Global Compact Initiative as its bedrock and explores partnerships with various stakeholders including the local governments and businesses to reach the benefits of sport to the underprivileged and children across the world.

The potential of football to bridge divides is slowly being recognized across the world and is now being used across the globe to aid towards Peace and Development. The goal of the program is to provide access to soccer pitches to underprivileged children and teenagers around the world and to provide them a new type of education through sports. In partnership with the Program is SafePlay International Inc.- a Texas, US based firm that has joined Global Compact and specializes in the manufacture of turfs and pitches. It has developed a superior product that uses unique Durablend technology which makes the turfs eco-friendly, safer, and more comfortable for players and their mobility.

Another of the partners is Diambars - a charitable trust formed by footballers like Patrick Vieira, Bernard Lama, Jean-Mark Adjovi-Boco and Saer Seck. Diambars works for education and talent promotion amongst the underprivileged. It has developed educational software that is being used in the Global Sports for Peace Centers worldwide.

The Global Sports for Peace Program would open out the children of South Asia to the world and would help learn them to become environmentally and socially aware, civic, and peace minded. It has special significance for the South Asia as the vegetation of the region depends on the vagaries of monsoon. The SafePlay Turfs used at the Sports for Peace Centers would do away with this dependence and provide a pitch that can be used year long.

The Sports for Peace Centers in the rural areas would lead towards creation of durable community, social, and economic infrastructure in the rural areas. Besides adding to the human capital it would generate both direct and subsidiary employment through its Peace Centers. Capacity building right at the grassroots will enlarge and enrich the talent base in the rural belts of the region.

The Global Sports for Peace Programme realizes that accelerated rural development is essential to reducing poverty and promoting better standards of life for much of the world's population. The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) cannot be achieved unless rural poverty is urgently reduced. The UN Alliance is part of a growing family of efforts within and outside the United Nations system that emphasizes the positive role business can play in sustainable development.

The Global Compact seeks to promote responsible corporate citizenship so that businesses can be part of the solution to the challenges of globalisation. The Global Sports for Peace Programme is an opportunity for the local economic society to make a difference and join this effort by being a key stakeholder at regional and international levels. National and International Businesses can have powerful influence towards helping to achieve these improvements. Pro-poor policies and practices by business and other stakeholders can help to promote economic and social well being and at the same time generate profitable returns on investment.

One of the Programme's missions is to identify, highlight, and promote replication of successful business policies and practices that are both profitable and promote social and economic advancement of poor people in rural areas. It emphasizes promotion of pro-poor business, stimulation of entrepreneurial capacity building, encouragement of business and commerce, and related support domestically and internationally.

In 2006, the Programme wants to embark on its Asian mission from South Asia and wants to work closely with countries in the region like India that are associated with the CISRI-ISP. HE Mr. Maradona is confident that the multi-party stakeholder approach of the Programme will not only raise the level of sport in the region considerably but will also contribute significantly towards the rural development of the region. He hopes that the Programme will be successful in bridging divides and aid towards peace and prosperity in the South Asian region.

Results of this win-win approach will be brought to the attention of the international community through the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) in July 2006.

The Author of this column is Advisor (South Asia) to HE Remigio Maradona, The Global Sports for Peace Programme.