United Nations Alliance of Civilizations
(UNAOC) is an initiative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, which
responds to a broad consensus across nations, cultures and religions that all
societies are interdependent, bound together in their development and security,
and in their environmental, economic and financial well-being. The Alliance
seeks to forge collective political will and to mobilize concerted action at
the institutional and civil society levels to overcome the prejudice,
misperceptions and polarization that militate against such a consensus. UNAOC
hopes to contribute to a coalescing global movement which, reflecting the will
of the vast majority of people, rejects extremism in any society.
The complex, demanding dialogue of
civilizations, cultures, and religions is necessary, possible, and fruitful. It
is a critical tool against isolation, mistrust, and confrontation and it is
also the most powerful incentive for understanding, and tolerance. History has
shown that dialogue is not a simple process, but that if we fail to teach and
cultivate it, the situation can give way to a monologue or to mutism, which is
conducive to conflict and violent extremism.
The United Nations Alliance of Civilizations
was created to serve as a soft-power political tool of the United Nations
Secretary-General for conflict prevention and conflict resolution. It is a
coalition against extremist forces; a movement to advance mutual respect for
cultures, traditions and religious beliefs, and a platform to bridge divides
and overcome prejudice, misconceptions, misperceptions, and polarization. The
United Nations Alliance of Civilizations was intended to promote collective
action in society as a means of addressing the threats that emerge from the
hostile perceptions that foment violence, overcoming cultural and social
barriers, reducing tensions and improving relations between societies and
communities with diverse cultural and religious backgrounds, and combatting
violent extremism.
During its more than fourteen years of
existence, UNAOC has pioneered a range of approaches and activities across its
four priority areas namely, Youth, Education, Media and Migration. The impact
of many of its projects on the ground has been significant and measurable
particularly those implemented with civil society organizations (CSOs) and
youth-led organizations. Nonetheless, the context of the current global
challenges is more complex than ever before. The multidimensional nature of the
scope of today’s conflicts requires a new approach to conflict resolution and
conflict prevention. Around the world, there has been a rising wave of violent
extremism conducive to terrorism, growing intolerance, hate speech, xenophobia
and discrimination, posing a threat to international peace and security. These
new approaches are reflected in the new UNAOC Action Plan 2019-2023. It builds
on and develops existing UNAOC programming activities and suggests new focus
areas that strengthen the Alliance’ ability to fulfill its mandate in a more
effective and measurable way. The Plan further suggests new approaches for
institutional development and political advocacy that should provide a viable
framework for the way we respond to the current global challenges.
Institutionally, the plan re-affirms the important role played by all
stakeholders, including state and non-state actors, in developing and
implementing national plans and regional strategies to promote intercultural
and interreligious dialogue, the mainstay of the Alliance. The framework aims
to expand and consolidate the global scope of the Alliance in Africa, Asia,
Europe, MENA and Latin America.
One of the tools promoted by the new action
plan is sport. Sport has the power to convey essential human values, such as
respect, discipline, inclusion, solidarity, courage and ethics. These values
seem more critical today than ever—particularly in the resolution of
significant global issues. To that end, UNAOC develops partnerships with sport
organizations and create initiatives in which sport is used as a tool to foster
social inclusion and cohesion, understanding and diversity. Sport can be a
vehicle for positive change and development. It unifies those of all faiths,
cultures and languages.
Within this framework, UNAOC, in partnership
with the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT), the UN Interregional Crime and
Justice Research Institute (UNICRI) and the International Centre for Sport
Security (ICSS) launched the “Global Programme on Security of Major Sporting
Events, and Promotion of Sport and its Values as a Tool to Prevent Violent
Extremism.”. Attacks against sports events are particularly condemnable, as
sports have historically played a significant role in the dissemination of
positive values throughout the world and across civilization and cultures,
especially for the youth. Research has demonstrated that sports both play a positive
role in preventing radicalization, promoting gender equality and the
empowerment of women and girls, and facilitating integration at large, thus
making sports a powerful vector for the development of efforts aimed at
preventing and countering violent-extremism and radicalization. The incumbent
will be responsible to implement the activities for which UNAOC is responsible,
see “scope of assignment” for description of specific tasks.
This position is located in UNAOC office, New
York, USA. The incumbent will report to the UNAOC project manager on Sport for
Development and Peace.