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Other Sports of Thursday, 4 December 2008

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Special Invitation To International Children Games

Monaco President Extends Special Invitation To International Children Games Ghana

The President of International Children Games Ghana Opanin Kwaku Kyei together with the Director of Communication Mr. Patrick Arthur will be joining 300 well known decision makers today in the world of sports to the second International Peace and Sports Forum scheduled from December 3-5 in Monaco.

The International Children Games www.internationalchildrengamesghana.org an NGO that uses sports as a tool for youth development will be representing Ghana at the event.

Placed under the High Patronage of His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco, the yearly Forum which started last year is a unique international gathering permitting dialogue between the highest authorities from the worlds of politics, sports and business on the common theme: how sport can further the rapprochement of communities by helping them to accept the differences of others. It brings together Heads of State and Heads of government, representatives from world sport leadership, International Olympic Committee, National and International Sports Federations, National Olympic Committees, the World Olympians Association, strategic and financial partners, experts from the world of sports and NGOs.

Opanin Kwaku Kyei will be sharing the podium with many leading figures including Wilfried Lemke, Special Advisor to the UN Secretary-General for Sport for Peace and Development,35 Heads of State, Prime Ministers and Ministers of Sports, from 5 continents;30 members of the International Olympic Committee;30 International Federations and many National Olympic Committees and 20 major non-governmental organizations.

A privileged meeting place, the forum helps to encourage exchanges in order to insure the coherence between the needs outlined by governments and the solutions brought forward by the actors of the sports movement, make an inventory and identify future local based projects, present the best practical cases, render an account ing of the projects in progress, develop a network and manage emergencies supported by governments, world sport governance bodies, international organisations, private international corporations and international sports champions. Peace and Sport creates synergies between various actors.

Peace and Sport’s objective is to bring the structuring values of sport to the heart of communities and individuals in crisis throughout the world. Undertaking projects in areas suffering the consequences of armed conflict, areas of extreme poverty or in lacking social cohesion, “Peace and Sport” makes sport a vehicle for tolerance, harmony, respect, sharing, citizenship and self-achievement, at the service of Sustainable Peace.

The diversity of participants will enable the sharing of experiences, propose new partnerships and enhance those that already exist and formalize concrete responses to needs identified by communities, weakened by poverty, lack of social cohesion or the aftermath of conflict.

On December 4th, a much-awaited session will take place at the end of the day on the role of sport within the most disadvantaged communities in the Middle East, particularly Israel-Palestine. Ministers of Sport from Israel and Palestine will both be present to talk about opportunities for reconciling the two communities through sport; two teenagers from Israel and Palestine will talk about how sport has allowed them to overcome prejudice in their respective communities.

Several real-life case studies on projects developed in vulnerable areas with the assistance of Peace and Sport will be presented to give the floor to players living in areas of tension. Case-studies in Burundi and the Great Lakes region of Africa, the Ivory Coast and Timor-Leste will also be examined. ‘We hope to bring to Ghana a combination of expertise, resources and strong contacts for the implementation of sports and development programs in the conflict prone areas of Ghana’ Opanin Kwaku Kyei.

Patrick Arthur

Director of Communication

International Children Games Ghana

info@internationalchildrengamesghana.org

For More Information please contact The Media Team of International Children Games Ghana Telephone: 001 646 591 9333 Email:info@internationalchildrengamesghana.org Address: 8226 Jepson Place, Alexandria VA 22309 USA Or in Ghana at 4thFloor, Room 151, Greater Accra Regional Coordinating Council