UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Statement by Ms Tanisha Hewanpola, First Secretary, Permanent Mission of Australia to the United Nations

Madame President

Australia is pleased to co-sponsor today's resolution on Building a Peaceful and Better World through Sport and the Olympic Ideal.

As a proud sporting nation and a past Olympics host, Australia appreciates the valuable contribution that sport and the Olympics have in enabling people to cross language, cultural and geographic divides, to inspire and unite us all, and to promote peace, cooperation, intercultural understanding, education and development.

In this regard, we acknowledge and support the efforts of the International Olympic Committee, the International Paralympic Committee, and the UN Office on Sport for Development and Peace in areas including poverty alleviation, gender equality, health promotion, child and youth education, HIV and AIDS prevention, peacebuilding and sustainable development.

Clearly, the Olympics has an important role to play in contributing to the promotion of social inclusion; bringing together people of differing ages, genders, races, cultures, faiths and status; in educating people on such traditional values as respect, diversity, tolerance and fairness; and in combating all forms of discrimination, including on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity.

We commend the inclusion of simple but comprehensive language in this resolution calling on all host countries of Olympic Games to promote social inclusion without discrimination of any kind.

The realisation of the Sochi 2014 Cultural and Educational programmes, which aim to promote cultural diversity, and enhance understanding between diverse communities, can also contribute to our peaceful coexistence.

Australia looks forward to participating in the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter and Paralympic Winter Games.

Thank you, Madame President.