Nairobi,
19 September 2008-Hundreds of children and
teenagers from across Nairobi will gather
on 20 September for the grand finale of
a three-month event to promote peace and
reconciliation.
The 'Play for the Planet:
Play for Peace' initiative, organized by
the United Nations Environment Programme
(UNEP) in collaboration with the International
Olympic Committee (IOC), kicked off on 21
June, promoting reconciliation in Nairobi's
informal settlements.
The event used the power
of sport to promote peace among Kenyans,
and to provide a positive environment for
interaction for young people affected by
the post-election conflict in Kenya.
The Sports for Peace
Finals on Saturday 20 September will include
soccer and volleyball games, youth performances,
presentations by community focal points
and trophies for the participants, as well
as live entertainment by MOB Deejays.
Over the last three
months, a series of events for children
and youth aged 6 to 24 took place in schools
and communities across the parts of Nairobi
most affected by the recent unrest: the
informal settlements of Mathare, Huruma,
Mathare North, Kibera, Dandora and Korogocho.
Activities in schools
and at community level included talks, drama
workshops, tree planting and a clean-up
of the Nairobi River, as well as weekend
sports tournaments.
With the initiative
coming to an end, a quick impact assessment
is underway to determine the success of
the initiative-with initial reports indicating
a positive impact on the targeted communities.
UNEP will also consider
whether to extend the initiative to other
parts of the country which were affected
by the unrest.
Notes to editors
All media are invited to the Grand Finale
of the UNEP Sport, Peace and Environment
initiative at the UN Recreational Centre
on Saturday, 20 September from 9am to 1pm.
This is the first edition
of UNEP's sports and peace initiative. The
aim is to use sport as an avenue to promote
and foster peace, in line with UNEP's long
term strategy on Sport and the Environment
endorsed by UNEP Governing Council in 2003.
The initiative received
about $40,000 of support in cash and in
kind from UNEP and the International Olympic
Committee.
Anne-France White, Associate Information
Officer
Or Theodore Oben, Chief of UNEP's Outreach
Unit
