Youth Charter Issues Global Call To Action At United Nations (UN) 80Th Assembly And International Olympic Committee (IOC) Milano Cortina Summit

The Youth Charter (YC) ( ), an international charity and UN NGO, has issued a Global Call to Action on Sport for Development and Peace (SDP) following the 80th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York and the IOC Milano Cortina 2026 Summit in Italy.

The statement urges world leaders, governments, and sporting bodies to strengthen the role of sport in addressing today's most urgent crises – armed conflict, climate change, inequality, and the lack of representation in leadership.

Renewed Urgency

At the UNGA, world leaders reaffirmed that“sport is an important enabler of sustainable development”, while the IOC reiterated its commitment to unity and peace ahead of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Games. The Youth Charter calls for these commitments to be translated into action:

• Embedding sport systematically in conflict prevention, peacebuilding, and humanitarian response.
• Scaling Community Campus Models that combine safe spaces, education, sport, and digital engagement.
• Strengthening the UN–IOC Accord with annual reviews at future UN Assemblies , ensuring progress is measured against the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Geoff Thompson, Youth Charter Founder and Chair, said:

“At a time of global conflict, division, and climate crisis, sport remains one of the few universal tools that can bring people together, heal communities, and empower young people. The Youth Charter is calling for a bold renewal of the UN–IOC Accord so that every Assembly strengthens, rather than repeats, commitments to peace through sport.”

Key Proposals

• UN–IOC Accord Strengthened: Annual reviews at each UNGA with accountability measures.
• Sport&Peacebuilding Task Force: A new UN mechanism to embed sport in conflict and humanitarian agendas.
• Community Campus Expansion: Scaling evidence-based models to empower youth and communities worldwide.
• Gender&Climate Action: Ensuring women, girls, and environmental sustainability are central to all sport for development initiatives.

A Global Youth Call

The Youth Charter, marking over 30 years of advocacy since its founding alongside Nelson Mandela's 1993 visit to Manchester, continues to champion the role of young people as agents of change. The Global Call to Action invites governments, the IOC, UN agencies, and civil society partners to join a renewed global movement for peace through sport.

Full Position Paper: Youth Charter Global Call to Action on Sport for Development and Peace ( )

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About Youth Charter:
The Youth Charter is a UK registered charity and UN accredited non-governmental organisation. Launched in 1993 as part of the Manchester 2000 Olympic Bid and the 2002 Commonwealth Games, the Youth Charter has Campaigned and Promoted the role and value of sport, art, culture and digital technology in the lives of disaffected young people from disadvantaged communities nationally and internationally. The Youth Charter has a proven track record in the creation and delivery of social and human development programmes with the overall aim of providing young people with an opportunity to develop in life.
Specifically, The Youth Charter Tackles educational non-attainment, health inequality, anti-social behaviour and the negative effects of crime, drugs, gang related activity and racism by applying the ethics of sporting and artistic excellence. These can then be translated to provide social and economic benefits of citizenship, rights responsibilities, with improved education, health, social order, environment and college, university, employment and enterprise.

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