Intergovernmental Committee for Physical Education and Sport

You are viewing an archived web page, collected at the request of United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) using Archive-It. This page was captured on 23:06:46 Jan 24, 2016, and is part of the UNESCO collection. The information on this web page may be out of date. See All versions of this archived page.

Loading media information hide

Intergovernmental Committee for Physical Education and Sport

UNESCO has been involved in the field of Physical Education and Sport (PES) since the early 1950s, when PES was placed high on the agenda for cooperation and development. UNESCO was chosen as the appropriate organisation to take charge of its promotion and institutionalisation. In 1952, the 7th session of UNESCO’s General Conference authorized the Director-General to conduct a survey with Member States and appropriate international organizations with a view to submitting “detailed proposals for action to be taken by UNESCO to assist in the development and improvement of athletic sports for educational purposes.”

The first Conference of Ministers and Senior Officials Responsible for Physical Education and Sport (MINEPS I), held in Paris in 1976, represents the starting point of UNESCO’s institutional efforts in physical education and sport. As a result, in 1978, two important international cooperation mechanisms were established, such as an International Charter on PES and the Intergovernmental Committee for Physical Education and Sport, CIGEPS. In the early 1990s, the end of the Cold War had radically changed the world political context, and Member States started to push for new orientations in PES policy. As a result, an external evaluation of UNESCO’s activities in PES was undertaken in 1993-94. MINEPS III in Uruguay, 1999 and MINEPS IV in Greece, 2004 were organised to reposition the primary goal of UNESCO in strengthening the educational and social dimensions of PES.

A new period began in the history of CIGEPS in 1997, when UNESCO’s General Conference adopted the Committee’s new Statutes. These established the creation of a Permanent Consultative Council, a body composed of several NGOs and other sport-related institutions, which was to ensure a greater participation of civil society, and the sport movement in particular, in the works and decisions of CIGEPS.

CIGEPS focuses on:

Monitoring the outcomes of MINEPS conferences
Coordinating international cooperation in PES
Serving as an interface between the sport movement, public authorities and other organisations involved in PES
Serving as a platform for knowledge and information exchange

In January 2008, four CIGEPS working groups were established to examine:

Quality Physical Education in Education Systems, chaired by Austria and Lithuania
Sport and Culture, chaired by Ecuador and Oman
Socio-Economic Development, chaired by Kenya and Malaysia
CIGEPS Reform, chaired by Cuba

For more information see also:

CIGEPS Report, Paris, 6 January 2006
English | Français

CIGEPS Bureau Meeting: final report, Paris, 15 March 2006
English | Français

CIGEPS Final Report, March 2007
English

CIGEPS Final Report, February 2008
English | Français | Español

Contact :

Tel: +33 (0) 1 45 38 45 41
Fax: +33 (0) 1 45 38 45 26
Email: n.saafi@unesco.org

Photo: © UNESCO/M. Ravassard

News

Plenary Session of the Intergovernmental Committee for Physical Education and Sport (CIGEPS) 2009-05-27 8:00 am UNESCO
The Plenary Session of the Intergovernmental Committee for Physical Education and Sport (CIGEPS) took place at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, from 8 to 9 June 2009.

UNESCO at the 6th World Forum on Sport, Education and Culture in Korea 2008-11-17 10:00 am UNESCO
UNESCO promoted the fundamental values of sport, education and culture at the 6th World Forum on Sport, Education and Culture in Busan (Republic of Korea), from 25 to 27 September 2008.

UNESCO promotes health, sport and the environment during the 2nd European Green Festival in Ukraine 2008-11-17 9:35 am UNESCO
During a round table on health and sport, UNESCO attended a three day workshop on “Health and a Healthy Way of Life in Industrial Regions” during the 2nd European Green Festival in Mariupol, Ukraine, from 6 to 9 June 2008. The event was supported by the Intergovernmental Committee for Physical Education and Sport (CIGEPS) and the International Association of Traditional Wrestling Sports (IATWS).

International Congress on Sport for Peace and Development 2008-09-25 10:00 am UNESCO
The International Congress on Sport for Peace and Development was organized by UNESCO and the Jamaican Government in Kingston, Jamaica, from 13 to 16 September 2008. One of its main purposes was to encourage Member States of the Caribbean Community to integrate physical education and sport into their policies, and to enhance their collaboration in this field.

Sub-regional round table on the theme of “Sport for Development and Peace” in Tanzania 2008-09-17 9:00 am UNESCO
A round table on “Sport for Development and Peace” was held in Zanzibar (Tanzania), from 8 to 10 September 2008. It brought together governmental authorities and representatives of sports movements, including the National Olympic Committee, to reflect together on the theme “Sport for Development and Peace”, and its role within a multi-sectoral approach.

The Intergovernmental Committee for Physical Education and Sport (CIGEPS) meets to reflect on "Sport for Peace and Development" 2008-06-05 9:00 am UNESCO
On 22 May 2008, the Committee gathered for an information meeting at UNESCO to reflect on the working paper on “Sport for Peace and Development”.

UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Committee for Physical Education and Sport Meeting 2008 2008-02-02 11:00 am UNESCO
The First session of the Intergovernmental Committee for Physical Education and Sport (CIGEPS) of 2008 was held from 29 to 31 January at UNESCO Headquarters. This meeting focused on three clear objectives: the election of the Bureau; the set up of three working groups; and the reform of CIGEPS.



		UNESCO SHS Have feedback? Email the SHS Webmaster