Parlons Développement – 24ème Edition : Sport et environnement : Jouer collectif pour la planète

Since 2021, the Policy Center for the New South, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the World Bank have jointly led the “Let’s Talk Development” initiative, a platform for collective reflection on sustainable development issues in Morocco. Aimed at young people and organized with various partners, it seeks to bridge the gap between strategic debates and the concerns of the general public, and to foster a rich exchange on the lessons learned from recent crises that have impacted progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In this context, the sport-environment nexus has emerged as a priority area for action, at the intersection of climate crises and the need to mobilize societies around concrete collective commitments. Through its capacity to unite, inspire, and influence behavior, sport represents a strategic lever for accelerating the transition to more sustainable lifestyles. In Morocco, this dynamic aligns with the vision of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, who has established environmental protection and sustainable development as national priorities. Internationally, sports federations, Olympic committees, and UN agencies also recognize sport as a vehicle for inclusion, awareness-raising, and climate action. The link between sport and the environment is twofold: some disciplines depend directly on the quality of ecosystems, while the sports sector itself generates a significant environmental footprint related to infrastructure, travel, energy, and supply chains. Faced with these challenges, several international initiatives, such as "Sports for Nature" and "Sports for Climate Action," encourage the adoption of more sustainable and low-carbon sports practices. In this context, Morocco's co-hosting of the 2030 FIFA World Cup, alongside Spain and Portugal, represents a strategic opportunity to position the Kingdom as a model of integration between sporting excellence and environmental responsibility, in line with its international commitments, particularly those made under the Paris Agreement. This edition of "Let's Talk Development," dedicated to the theme "Sport and the Environment: Working Together for the Planet," is part of this dynamic. Organized in partnership with Ibn Tofail University, the Mohammed VI Foundation for Environmental Protection, and the Hassan II International Center for Environmental Training, it aims to engage young people around these issues and to firmly establish the sport-environment nexus within the country's transformation efforts. Through discussions with experts, sports stakeholders, and committed institutions, this event seeks to generate concrete solutions tailored to the Moroccan context.