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UN-BACKED PEACE CONFERENCE AND EXPO TO DEBUT IN CAPE TOWNThe Cape Town PEACE Conference and EXPO coincides with a number of peace initiatives taking place in the city, including the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon, Peace Runs and Relay events.

Cape Town, 25 August 2014 – The United National’s Special Advisor on Sport for Development and Peace, Wilfried Lemke, has officially endorsed the first Cape Town Peace Conference and Expo, being organized by the Foundation for Sport, Development and Peace in association with the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon.

The Conference and Expo, which takes place on Friday 19 September at the Southern Sun Hotel Waterfront, has the theme “African Visions – Global Legacies: Sport and Peace”. Speakers include the UN Working Group Chair on Sport and Peace; Deputy Minister for Sport and Recreation, Gert Oosthuizen; and Minister for Cultural Affairs and Sport in the Western Cape, Nomafrench Mbombo.

“Since we’re celebrating 20 years as a peaceful democracy and because we’ve witnessed the power of sport to bring previously divided people together, we felt it opportune to not only align the Marathon with such a focus but also to jointly hold such a conference,” says the ambassador for the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon and Olympian long-distance medallist Elana Meyer, who will also speak at the conference.

The purpose of the Cape Town PEACE Conference and Expo is to create a forum that brings together various stakeholders to discuss how sport can be used as a vehicle to build peaceful communities. In addition, the initiative puts a strong focus on empowering young people by cooperating with schools, non-governmental organisations and federations in order to make youth part of other sports and peace-related initiatives, especially in the developing world.

One of the chosen beneficiaries for this year’s Marathon is Peace and Sport (L’Organisation pour la Paix par le Sport), a global initiative under the patronage of Prince Albert of Monaco that uses sport to educate young people affected by extreme poverty, recent conflict or a lack of social cohesion.

Lemke describes the Cape Town PEACE Conference and Expo as an example of a concrete application of sport as a tool for development and peace-building efforts. “The United Nations considers sport to be a powerful tool to promote education, health, development and peace. Sport unites people of all social classes, cultures, religions and backgrounds in a positive and educational way,” he says. “This year

marks the exciting start of this initiative, which is dedicated to promoting awareness, and visibility of sport and peace for youth and communities.”

Other speakers include Goodwill Ambassador of the City of Marathon in Greece, Dimitris Kyriakides; Head of Group Corporate Affairs for Sanlam, Francois Adriaan; ambassador for the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon and Rugby World Cup 1995 winning captain, Francois Pienaar; and Olympian and Peace and Sport ambassador, Wilson Kipketer.

The Cape Town Peace Conference and Expo precedes the 14th World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates, taking place in the Mother City in October. Cape Town is home to two of South Africa’s four Nobel Peace Prize laureates, FW De Klerk and Desmond Tutu.

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About the Foundation for Sport, Development and Peace

The Foundation is a non-profit, non-governmental organisation engaged in sport, development and peace and promoting the Olympic values of friendship, joy of effort, fair play, respect, excellence and balance of body, spirit, will and mind for social change and the development of a better society.The aims and objectives of the Foundation are

1. To understand, advocate and promote sport and the Olympic Values as tools for development, social change and peace at a community level and at society at large;

2. To create and strengthen networks and develop partnerships to improve cooperation, capacity building and implementation;

3. To facilitate the transfer of related knowledge, skills andresources in the relevant fields

4. To facilitate public and institutional awareness, personal development, education and training in support of sport as a tool for development, social change and peace and of the Olympic Values;

The Foundation’s mission is to contribute to the understanding and promotion /advancement of sport as a tool for development, social change and peace through advocacy, education/ training, community engagement and high quality research AND to the understanding , appreciation and application of the Olympic values to advance the physical, social and economic development and wellbeing of our communities. The Foundation was established by three directors, namely Dr. Marion Keim Lees as chairperson, as well as Heidi Raymer and Christo de Coning.

About Marion Kiem

Marion Keim combines her passion for peace, development and sport with a rich experience in research, lecturing , curriculum development and community engagement over the past 25 years in the fields of peace and development, leadership and social transformation and sport as a tool for social change in South Africa, Africa and internationally.Marion has a D.Phil. in Sports and Exercise Sciences from the University of Heidelberg, Germany and an LLB from the Law Faculty of the University of the Western Cape. She is an Advocate of the High Court of South Africa and certified in Sport Law from Rand Afrikaans University, South Africa, and in Mediation from the Institute for Conflict Resolution, University of Brunswick, Germany. From 2005- present she has been one of the founders and Chairperson of the Western Cape Network for Community Peace and Development, a civil society umbrella network consisting of 32 NGOs in South Africa working in the area of conflict transformation, youth and community development, health, education and sport. She is on the Ministerial Advisory Committee for Sport and Recreation and Sport and Transformation and was recently appointed by the International Olympic Committee as expert on the Commission for Culture and Olympic Education.

Message from the Chairperson of the Foundation, Marion Keim The Foundation of Sport, Development and Peace wishes to draw the attention to the 1st Cape Town Peace Conference and Expo as part of the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon in order to highlight the powerful role of sport in bringing peace to our increasingly conflict ridden world. We are excited by the positive response thus far and the commitment shown by the range of stakeholders that have expressed their support for the Conference.

The stakeholders include Sanlam, the Department for Cultural Affairs and Sport, the Department for Community Safety, Western Cape Education Department, the City of Cape Town, Tsogo Sun, Endurocad, Laureus, Western Province Athletics, and the Western Cape Network for Community Peace and Development. We also enjoy the support of the four universities in Cape Town, as well as international partners such as the United Nations Office on Sport for Development and Peace, Peace and Sport, Monaco, International Centre for Sport, Research and Development and its Olympism4 Humanity Programme Greece, Hellenic Athletics Association, and the City of Marathon.

It is envisaged that the Cape Town PEACE Conference and Expo will become an annual event.

The Conference and Expo both aim to create a forum of exchange that brings together different stakeholders to discuss how sport can be used as a vehicle to build peaceful communities. In addition, the initiative puts a strong emphasis on empowering young people by cooperating with schools, non-governmental organisations and federations in order to make youth part of other sports and peace-related initiatives, especially in the developing world.

Conference speakers include: United Nations Working Group Chair on Sport and Peace, Deputy Minister for Sport and Recreation Gert Oosthuizen, Minister for Cultural Affairs and Sport, Western Cape, Prof. Nomafrench Mbombo, Goodwill Ambassador of the City of Marathon, Greece, Dimitris Kyriakides, Head of Group Corporate Affairs, Sanlam, Francois Adriaan, Elana Meyer, Francois Pienaar, Wilson Kipketer, Olympian and Peace and Sport Board Member and Champion for Peace, Monaco and others.

Mr. Wilfried Lemke, United Nations’ Special Adviser on Sport for Development and Peace has officially endorsed the 1st Cape Town PEACE Conference and Expo. In a letter to the organisers, Lemke states: “The United Nations considers sport to be a powerful tool to promote education, health, development and peace. Sport unites people of all social classes, cultures, religions and backgrounds in a positive and educational way. This year marks the exciting start for this initiative which is dedicated to promoting awareness and visibility of sport and peace for youth and communities. As such, it is an example of a concrete application of sport as a tool for development and peace-building efforts.”

About Sanlam Cape Town Marathon

Sanlam Cape Town Marathon is managed through a joint partnership between Western Province Athletics (WPA), ASEM Running and the City of Cape Town. Endorsed by Elana Meyer and Francois Pienaar, it will be held from Saturday, 20 September to Sunday, 21 September 2014. The classic 42.2km marathon is the central focus of a festival of running through Africa’s Mother City, which includes a 10km Peace Run, a 4.2km Peace Fun Run, a 22km and 11km Peace Trail Run, and 5 x 4.2km Peace Corporate, School and University Relay. The Sanlam Cape Town Marathon route is competitive, yet beautiful, offering runners a unique experience that highlights the City’s natural splendour and top cultural attractions. The field is inclusive of the world’s elite athletes, club and non-club runners, wheelchair racers, casual joggers, social runners and walkers. Athletes and spectators can enjoy Cape Town’s unique festive atmosphere at safe, fun supporter zones along the route, as well as at the Cape Town Stadium in Green Point. The Sanlam Cape Town Marathon delivers a sustainable, charitable event that brings together runners and supporters to experience the exceptional spirit of one of Africa’s world-class city marathons.

For more information, please contact:

This conference is by invitation only. For more information please contact Heidi Raymer on email: info@foundationforsportanddevelopmentandpeace.com or Tel: 0832619108/082 463 7866.

NATALIE PEREIRA HENRIQUESPress – Sanlam Cape Town Marathon082 920 5366021 418 2466natalie@dummettandcompany.co.za