VII MINEPS International Conference kicks off in Baku

Baku is hosting the VII International Conference of Ministers and Senior Officials Responsible for Physical Education and Sport (MINEPS VII).

Report informs that more than 50 ministers and high-ranking officials, as well as more than 540 representatives from 124 countries and international organizations, take part in the conference and related events.

Azerbaijan's Minister of Youth and Sports Farid Gaibov and Deputy Director General of UNESCO for Social and Human Sciences Gabriela Ramos are expected to deliver opening speeches.

On the first day of the conference, sessions will cover topics such as gender equality, Africa, and youth empowerment in sports.

Panellists will share success stories and best practices regarding the impact of sports in these areas, as well as the challenges that need to be addressed in order to capitalize on the results of sports and achieve greater development.

The conference will wrap up on June 29.
 
Following the results of the conference, in continuation of the project of the same name, which is a sports initiative of UNESCO, a partnership document Fit for Life will be adopted.

The main goal of the project is to support inclusiveness in the field of sports, improve the well-being of young people, address the negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and develop policies to reduce physical inactivity.

MINEPS

Created in 1976, the International Conference of Ministers and Senior Officials Responsible for Physical Education and Sport (MINEPS) is 

• a forum that facilitates intellectual and technical exchange in the field of physical education and sport. 
• an institutional mechanism for a coherent international strategy in this domain.
• the only global platform of its kind, engaging governments, intergovernmental organizations, the sport movement, academia and specialized NGOs. 

Its outcomes and recommendations are continuously strengthening the educational, cultural, and social dimensions of physical education and sport while guiding the implementation of effective policies and practices around the world. 

Six MINEPS Conferences have been organized: Paris - France, 1976; Moscow - Russian Federation, 1988; Punta del Este - Uruguay, 1999; Athens - Greece, 2004; Berlin - Germany, 2013; Kazan - Russian Federation, 2017. 

MINEPS played a major role in the development of the International Charter of Physical Education and Sport (1978) - establishing the practice of physical education and sport as a fundamental right for all - and the creation of the Intergovernmental Committee for Physical Education and Sport (CIGEPS). It also provided a key platform for the negotiation of the International Convention against Doping in Sport.