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The Centre for Sport and Human Rights launches new Playbook series
The Centre for Sport and Human Rights, based in Switzerland, has launched the Human Rights Playbook series, which aims to empower sport bodies to make robust human rights commitments.
The series has been developed with the support of the Swiss Government, and features two new guidance documents that build on the Centre’s flagship 2018 guide Championing Human Rights in the Governance of Sport Bodies.
Originally, the guide outlined the ‘what’ and the ‘why’ of human rights due diligence in sports, but the latest series will offer new tools and provide a practical roadmap for action. The guides navigate step-by-step through essential human rights frameworks, including the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises. The frameworks have already been adopted by sports bodies such as the International Olympic Committee (IOC), FIFA and UEFA.
The first guidance document Integrating Human Rights in the Governance of Sport Bodies details the human rights due diligence process. It was developed alongside consultancy firm Ergon Association.
Meanwhile, the second document Commit & Embed – Step-by-Step Guidance on Drafting a Human Rights Policy provides a thorough framework for creating robust human rights policies through a number of questions.
These documents have been designed to fit sporting federations of all sizes.
“These guides are a beacon of support for federations of any size at all levels embarking on their human rights journey."
David Grevemberg, Chief Innovation and Partnerships Officer of the Centre for Sport and Human Rights, who co-chaired the working group that drafted the original guide, commented: “These guides are a beacon of support for federations of any size at all levels embarking on their human rights journey.
“By offering a step-by-step approach, they build on the 2018 guidance, ensuring that sport bodies are equipped with practical expertise and guidance at every stage to respect, protect and promote human rights. The collective wisdom encapsulated in these guides is now accessible to all with the potential to drive a new era of human-centric leadership in sports governance that addresses complex real-world challenges and harnesses emerging opportunities.”
The Centre worked closely with the UN Human Rights Office, as well as the OECD, to produce the latest series of documents.
“Switzerland is home to many of the world’s sport federations. Therefore, we are particularly aware of the key responsibility sport has to respect and uphold human rights,” added Simon Geissbühler, Head of the Peace and Human Rights Division at the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs.
“Sport and human rights are also an important part of Switzerland’s National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights. We are proud to have supported the development of these important tools and hope that many of the sport federations here in Switzerland and abroad will use them on their human rights journey.”
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