UEFA (the Union of European Football Associations) and the OIF (Organisation internationale de la Francophonie) and the have joined the Steering Committee of the Mega-Sporting Events Platform for Human Rights (MSE Platform).
The MSE Platform is an emerging multi-stakeholder coalition of international and intergovernmental organisations, governments, sports governing bodies, athletes, unions, sponsors, broadcasters, and civil society groups. Through dialogue and joint action its mission is to ensure all actors involved in staging an event fully embrace and operationalise their respective human rights duties and responsibilities throughout the MSE lifecycle.
MSE Platform members are working together to develop more comprehensive, consistent, and accountable approaches to managing social risks and adverse human rights impacts arising from MSEs, and overcome the barriers to better knowledge transfer and good practice within and between sport traditions and events. This collective action seeks to raise awareness, innovate, advocate, educate, drive positive change, and give a voice to those most affected.
Chaired by Mary Robinson, the MSE Platform is facilitated by the Institute for Human Rights and Business (IHRB). The MSE Platform is driven by the efforts of a multi-stakeholder Steering Committee of more than 25 organisations, supported by a high-level Advisory Group. Throughout 2017, the MSE Platform’s work is being implemented through four Task Forces.
Peter Gilliéron, Chairman of the UEFA Fair Play and Social Responsibility Committee, commented:
After having included Human Rights criteria into the EURO-2024 bidding process it was for UEFA a logical move to join the MSE Platform. It is a UEFA social responsibility objective to make the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) an integrated part of all our activities. Through our membership at the MSE Platform we are looking forward to contributing to the respect of the UNGPs in European Football and beyond”.
John Morrison of IHRB, the MSE Platform's secretariat, added:
OIF brings together 84 States (58 members and 26 observers) from the five continents. With the upcoming 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup in France and Paris bid for the 2024 Olympics, as well as the range of upcoming sports events in francophone nations such the 2017 Francophone Games in Abidjan and 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon, the participation of the OIF will add great value to the MSE Platform’s work.
