Localizing the SDGs Through Football

United Nations General Assembly 2023

This September 2023, our Heads of States and Governments shall all assemble in New York for the 78TH Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA78). Top on the UNGA78 is the SDG Summit. 2023 marks the midpoint since the adoption of the SDGs and it is expected that by 2030 the world must have realized most of the SDGs. At UNGA78, member states are expected commit towards accelerating progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

 At Women for a Change, we believe that achieving the SDGs is possible. The world leaders just need to genuinely engage and deliver on their promises. We have seen how civil societies continue to work tirelessly to see that the SDGs becomes a reality. For us at Wfac, in localizing the SDGs, one of the activities conducted to this effect is how we use football (soccer) in engaging communities and young people, women and girls on the SDGs.  We also use football to teach men about positive masculinity and the act of social cohesion. 

Since 2016, the peace of the country has been threatened by the toxic nature of negative masculinities. Men have exerted their power in the most violent manner, resulting to almost 1 million persons internally displaced according to a 2019 OCHA report; 279 being refugees in the neighbouring countries, and almost 4.3 million persons in need of humanitarian assistance and need. The brutal armed conflict that has resulted to thousands of deaths of men and boys especially the youth from the english speaking region, north and south west and women and girls abused and violated in some of the most indemnifying and derogatory manner.  With fear and insecurity plaguing the entire public. 

In an effort to raise awareness around the consequences of toxic masculinities as well as the impact war has in the attainment of the agenda 2030 sustainable development goals (SDGs) , we launch in May 2019, the holidays program called #SDGsFootVacances. An annual intergenerational and intersectional awareness raising initiative which aims at using football to increase community awareness about the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as well as public understanding around the concepts of social cohesion, no violence, tolerance, justice, feminisms, positive masculinity and gender equality. 

The #SDGsFootVacances initiative is designed under the backdrop that sports contributions to well-being regardless of age, gender or ethnicity is enjoyed by all, and its reach is unrivalled. For instance, in 2015, the World Taekwondo Federation established the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation that seeks to use martial art as a tool in contributing towards lasting solution for humanitarian crisis, especially the wellbeing of refugees and internally displaced persons, women and men. Such initiatives raises awareness about the plight of young refugees and are fully in harmony with the SDGs, particularly with regard to health (Goal 3: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages).It is in same spirit that the SDGsFootVacance seeks to create and as we observe the SDG Summit this 2023, we count on our governments to really mean it this time because we, the people deserve a better.

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