FIFA and WHO Launch Global Healthy Living Campaign
The International Football Federation and the United Nations they are teaming up to raise awareness of the benefits of a healthy lifestyle. The Memorandum of Understanding signed by WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and FIFA President Gianni Infantino at WHO’s headquarters evidences it.
Both organizations committed to collaboration that will promote healthy living through football globally.
“Half the world watched the 2018 World Cup. This means there’s huge potential for us to team up to reach billions of people with information to help them live longer, healthier lives”, WHO Director-General said.
During a four-year collaboration, WHO will work with FIFA to ensure tobacco-free environments at events organized by the governing body, encourage national football federations to adopt tobacco-free policies, and provide technical advice to FIFA on a range of health matters, including hygiene and disease prevention.
Over the four years, joint programmes and initiatives involving national associations, footballers, coaches and volunteers, will help get people moving through football-related activities.
“Football is a unique, universal language and we want to use our platform and network to support health initiatives and promote healthy lifestyles all around the world”, Gianni Infantino commented.
The importance of sport in rallying people and communities around a collective cause has long been recognized by the UN System: celebrating the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace in April, Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed pointed out that the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development identified sport as “an enabler of sustainable development”.
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