TSUNAMI RELIEF EFFORT:  ADOLF OGI CALLS WORLD OF SPORT TO COORDINATED ACTION

(Reissued as received.)

GENEVA, 10 January (UN Information Service) -- Adolf Ogi, the Special Adviser to the United Nations Secretary-General on Sport for Development and Peace, has issued a call for coordinated action to the sports world in response to the recent Indian Ocean tsunami on behalf of the United Nations system.

The Director-General of the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB), Jean-Pierre Seppey, has announced a $3 million contribution to support, among other things, the rebuilding of schools and playing fields, as the first response to Mr. Ogi’s call.

Mr. Ogi sees three ways in which sport can render assistance to the victims of the tsunami:  “First, the sports associations can contribute financially to the reconstruction efforts; second, clubs and federations can directly cooperate with sports associations in the affected region; and third, the large number of volunteers who are so essential to sport could be made available to help in the longer term” said Mr. Ogi in Geneva.

This initiative is placed within the context of the International Year of Sport and Physical Education (IYSPE 2005) and will strengthen efforts already under way by some sport organizations by linking them to the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), which will manage the reconstruction efforts together with the world of sport in the framework of its recovery work.

James Rawley, Deputy Director of the UNDP in Geneva, has assured the UNDP’s support and coordination for Mr. Ogi’s action.

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