In Afghanistan's capital Kabul, volunteers organised a football match between Miakhel and Sahak, two villages in conflict over land.

There was also a discussion post-game about how sport can be used for development and peace.

It was one of a host of activities laid on to emphasis how sport can bridge gender, religious and ethnic divides.

"I was delighted when the United Nations (UN) General Assembly declared April 6 as the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace," said Generations For Peace founder and chairman Prince Feisal Al Hussein, who also posted a video message about the day.

"This is an important day to engage children and youth in sport.

"It helps promote and boost the work that our Generations For Peace volunteers around the world are carrying out each day and week to lead change in their own communities.

"They are using sport as a powerful entry point to engage with children and youth to raise awareness and help tackle local issues of conflict and violence, inequality and exclusion, and social development."



As well as Afghanistan, activities were held in Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Georgia, Indonesia, Jordan, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Palestine, Uganda and Yemen.

Speaking about the football match organised in Kabul, Sayed Ikram Afzali, a Generations For Peace Pioneer from Afghanistan, said: "We would like the policy makers to understand the power of sport - it can be used as a vehicle for peace building and development.

"We are showing how tools like sport can bring people together."

In the Azerbaijani capital Baku, volunteers gave a presentation on the role of sport as a tool for building peace to more than 50 people, including refugees, internally-displaced people, and representatives from the UN Development Programme, the UN Department of Public Information and the UN Children's Fund.

Aysel Asgarova, a Generations For Peace delegate from Azerbaijan, said: "As well as encouraging dialogue and understanding between people, sport can also advance human rights and act as a driver for social change."

Generations for Peace, a peace-through-sport organisation recognised by the International Olympic Committee, has more than 8,400 volunteers in 50 countries.

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