New Role Places Children's and Young People's Rights at the Heart of Commonwealth Games and Mega-Sporting Events

Lucy Amis, formerly Research Fellow - Mega-Sporting Events (MSEs) at the Institute for Human Rights and Business, has been appointed as Children’s Rights and Sports Specialist at Unicef UK, as part of a ground-breaking collaboration with the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) to integrate children and young people’s rights in the bidding processes and operational delivery of future Commonwealth Games and Youth Games.

Unicef and the CGF recognise the power of sport to change children’s lives for the better and the power and responsibility of major events like the Commonwealth Games to promote and protect children’s rights on and off the field of play.

Unicef UK’s Head of Sport Guy Price said:

"We are thrilled to welcome Lucy to Unicef UK in this new role. Working in partnership with the CGF we will support Organising Committees and governments to integrate children’s rights into their plans. Many Committees are already breaking new ground in this area and we will take these lessons to support the Commonwealth Sports Movement in delivering its vision of using sport as a power for positive change across the Commonwealth."

Commonwealth Games Federation Chief Executive Officer David Grevemberg CBE said:

"Now more than ever, the Commonwealth Sports Movement believes in the critical importance of UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights for global sport and MSEs. In line with Transformation 2022, we must continue to be explicit about the value we place on host communities and citizens and the positive impacts we seek to achieve in all that we do. This new role at Unicef UK, which the CGF has proudly advocated and supported, will be a vital partner, resource and critical friend to our members and host cities."

After an award-winning and first-of-its-kind partnership at the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games, where over £5million was raise to support sport and development initiatives throughout the Commonwealth, Unicef began working with the Commonwealth Games Federation to ensure that children’s rights become an integral part of the delivery of the games and their legacy and to ensure that the games act as a platform to raise awareness of children’s rights globally.

This new post will lead a ground-breaking partnership project to advise on and work with the CGF, governments and bidding and host cities to support and ensure the integration of human and child rights into all future Commonwealth Games and Youth Games.

Lucy Amis said:

"I am delighted to be joining Unicef UK as Children’s Rights and Sports Specialist, and to be working directly with the CGF to integrate human and children’s rights into their governance and bidding processes, as well as helping to build the human rights capacity of all Commonwealth Games Hosts"

Lucy is currently on assignment in the Bahamas supporting the Bahamas 2017 Commonwealth Youth Games organisers and their partners. Indeed, the Children’s Rights and Sports Specialist will have a specific focus on the next two Commonwealth Games (2018 and 2022) and next two Commonwealth Youth Games (2017 and 2021). The work will then be used to build a plan and develop guidance to ensure human and children’s rights due diligence is integrated into all future Commonwealth Games and more broadly into other Mega-Sporting Events.

Mark Peters, Chief Executive of the Gold Coast 2018 Organising Corporation said:

"The Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games Corporation (GOLDOC) looks forward to working with Lucy in her role of Children's Rights and Sports Specialist with Unicef UK. GOLDOC is well progressed in building on the work of the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games and strengthening learning across the Commonwealth movement on these important issues. The intention to develop a Reconciliation Action Plan for the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games, a first for any major event in Australia, is one important example of the initiatives being delivered for our event."

Robert McVeigh, Chairman of the Northern Ireland Commonwealth Games Council said:

"The Directors of Belfast 2021 Commonwealth Youth Games congratulate Lucy Amis on her appointment and we welcome the collaboration currently being undertaken between UNICEF and the CGF. We wish her every success in the role and look forward to working with her to promote, advance and implement essential human and child rights criteria into Commonwealth Games and Commonwealth Youth Games delivery."

For more information, please contact:

For CGF:

Martin Reynolds

Tel: +44 7789 772619

Email: m.reynolds@thecgf.com

For UNICEF UK

Vicky Gashe

Tel: +44 7785 468987

Email: VickyG@unicef.org.uk

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