The Council of Europe’s Enlarged Partial Agreement on Sport (EPAS) held its biennial Diversity Conference organised in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Education and Sport of the Principality of Liechtenstein under the framework of the Liechtenstein Presidency of the Committee of Ministers on 29 November 2023.
The aim of the EPAS Diversity Conferences is to focus on a key topical issue, bringing together national and international experts, policy makers and those working for NGOs and grassroots sport, to assess the current state of play and propose a drive for change. This year’s subject area was the inclusion of child migrants and refugees in and through sport, which is highly relevant given the current geo-political context.
The Conference was opened by Dominique Hasler, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Education and Sport of the Principality of Liechtenstein, Marja Ruotanen, Director General of Democracy and Human Dignity at the Council of Europe, and Alexandre Husting, Chair of the EPAS Governing Board.
Three speakers – Khalida Popal, Cyrille Tchatchet and Gerald Mballe – shared their journeys from being young refugees to seeing how sport went on to play a major role in their lives and specifically in terms of their inclusion within their host countries. Khalida Popal is the founder and director of Girl Power Organization and the Programme and Event Director of the Afghanistan Women's National Football Team, Cyrille Tchatchet is an Olympic athlete and Gerald Mballe is an Advisor for Special Olympics Europe Eurasia.
There were panels involving a host of key experts looking into the current state of play and considering the way forward, and in particular how the Council of Europe can play a meaningful role.
The Conference took place on Wednesday 29 November from 9am to 1.15pm CET and was live streamed.
The Conference was preceded by technical meetings on 28 November.
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