Governments must increase investment into Para sport urges IPC

Speaking at the UNESCO organised Future in Play: International Forum on Inclusive Sport and Physical Education in Santiago, Chile, last week, International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Deputy Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Kristina Molloy urged governments to increase their investment into Para sport as a tool to drive social inclusion.

In front of a global audience including Sport and Education ministers and their delegations as well as sport organisations, academics and civil society, Molloy also highlighted the role the Paris 2024 Call to Action can play in governments achieving progress around disability inclusion in sport.

Kristina Molloy said: “The International Forum was an excellent platform to showcase to governments the transformational impact of Para sport and to advance the work of the Paris 2024 Call to Action, initiated a year ago. Resulting from this event is a roadmap outlining the work that is urgently required to provide equal access for persons with disabilities to access education and participate in sport.

“Para sport is a proven driver to empowering persons with disabilities, improving social outcomes, and making for a more inclusive society.  Despite this, one in three children with disabilities have no access to physical education. This is clear evidence that much more needs to be done.

“Success will only be realised through collective action, and here in Santiago we’ve seen what’s possible when governments, development banks and multilateral institutions work together with Paralympic partners to elevate the role of Para sport in driving social change. The Paris 2024 Call to Action gave guidance to governments on the role of Para sport as a tool to dismantle barriers, changes perceptions, and drive structural reform in sport, education and media systems. A year later this work is being further strengthened with global policy standards and roadmap for collective action. By acting now, governments can leverage sport to reduce inequalities and empower the most marginalised groups, especially the world’s 1.3 billion persons with disabilities.”

Unveiled by the IPC and UNESCO on the event of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, the Paris 2024 Call to Action provides a concrete framework for governments and stakeholders to deliver on Article 30 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and several UN Sustainable Development Goals. Moreover, the Call to Action gives governments the opportunity to advance the objectives agreed upon at MINEPS VII around disability inclusion in sport.

The Paris 2024 Call to Action makes several key policy recommendations for governments, including: 

Improve access:

Ensure access and opportunities for persons with disabilities to participate in Para sport and physical activity from grassroots to high performance. 

Infrastructure:

Provide access to safe, inclusive, affordable, accessible, and sustainable sport and recreation infrastructure for all. Promote and ensure access to affordable assistive technology, and accessible information services and media content to support the participation of persons with disabilities in sport.

Inclusive education:

Increase budgetary allocations to ensure equal access to education, including physical education, and strengthen training of teachers and coaches to support inclusion and fight discrimination.

Media inclusion: 

Encourage policy and decision-makers as well as editors, reporters, content producers, technical staff and managers in media institutions to integrate the principles of diversity, equality and inclusion in management practices into their employment and working practices. 

Data collection: 

Support and invest in expanding existing data collection mechanisms for sport, physical education and physical activity to include disability-specific data.

Future in Play:

The International Forum on Inclusive Sport and Physical Education, organised by UNESCO in cooperation with the Ministry of Sport of Chile and Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean (CAF) took pace between 27-28 November 2025.

The Forum aimed to foster a deeper collaboration between sectors and regions, and advance discussions around global policy standards for inclusive, equitable and safe sport and physical education. 

The event also provided an opportunity to engagement governments and key stakeholders in shaping a roadmap to promote the inclusion of persons with disabilities in and through sport and education, in line with the International Charter of Physical Education, Physical Activity and Sport, the MINEPS VII Baku Outcome Document, and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.