On April 6 we are marking the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace (IDSDP). The adoption of this Day in 2013 signifies the increasing recognition by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the United Nations (UN) of the positive influence that sport can have on the advancement of human rights and social & economic development.

Sport has proven to be a cost-effective and flexible tool in promoting peace and development objectives. In UN’s Declaration of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development sport’s role for social progress is further acknowledged: "Sport is also an important enabler of sustainable development. We recognize the growing contribution of sport to the realization of development and peace in its promotion of tolerance and respect and the contributions it makes to the empowerment of women and of young people, individuals and communities as well as to health, education and social inclusion objectives."



Starting from this year, we will also celebrate the International Day of University Sport (IDUS) on September 20. The day aims to guarantee and preserve sporting activities and programmes in higher education institutions for students and citizens, so as to further ethics, value systems, anti-doping, fair play, physical education, a healthy lifestyle, quality of life, quality physical education, gender equality and social inclusion, and thereby ensure high quality physical education.



International University Sport Day has been recognised by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 2015 on the proposal by the International University Sports Federation (FISU). The International Day of University Sport will be celebrated annually on September 20, commemorating also the date of the first Student World Championships in 1924 (17-21 September in Warsaw, Poland).



In Europe, a lot of efforts have been also given to the promotion of sports and physical activities in general. That is why the European Commission introduced the European Week of Sport and the #BeActive campaign, implementing its first edition in 2015. The European Week of Sport aims to promote sport and physical activity across Europe. The Week is for everyone, regardless of age, background or fitness level. With a focus on grassroots initiatives, it inspires Europeans to #BeActive on a regular basis and create opportunities in peoples’ everyday lives to exercise more. #BeActive is a call to action to get Europeans moving, and European University Sports Association (EUSA) is a proud partner of the initiative.



EUSA invites you to celebrate these initiatives by commemoration and active participation! For more information, please see International Day of Sport for Development and Peace (IDSDP), International Day of University Sport (IDUS) and European Week of Sport.