Sport Business academic involved in developing the United Nations guide to preventing violent extremism through sport

Dr Holly Collison has been working with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) on the new policy guidance and tools for using sport to tackle violent extremism.

The Preventing Violent Extremism through Sport resources will be launched on 2 July 2020, with Dr Holly Collison from the Institute for Sport Business presenting the guide as part of the online launch event.

The Technical Guide, developed in the context of the Youth Crime Prevention through Sport Initiative under the Global Programme for the Implementation of the Doha Declaration, provides comprehensive guidance on how sport and sport-based programmes can be used in the context of Preventing Violent Extremism (PVE) to address related risk and protective factors. To ensure global accessibility, the guide will be translated into four languages.

The launch event will highlight the important role that sport can play in preventing violent extremism and will serve to share experiences from states and civil society organisations on the effective integration of sport in national policy frameworks and the implementation of sport-based programmes. The launch for the guide had originally been scheduled to take place in Doha but has been re-arranged to virtually introduce the guide to member states, officials and stakeholders online.

Speaking of the initiative, Dr Holly Collison said:

“It’s very exciting to be in this position and to be driving this agenda. For this initiative I have also developed a practical guide to accompany the technical guide and this is also being transformed into an online e-learning tool for policymakers and facilitators.”

Dr Holly Collison has been leading the charge to develop guidance on the prevention of violent extremism through sport, recently attending a UN expert meeting in Vienna and as part of the preparations for the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly in New York.

Dr Holly Collison is an anthropologist in the field of Sport for Development and Peace (SDP) and a Lecturer within the Institute for Sport Business.