Kenya to host the Global Goals World Cup tournament ahead of the International Women’s Day

6 Feb 2017 Kenya

Kenya to host the Global Goals World Cup tournament ahead of the International Women’s Day

Nairobi, Kenya (February 7, 2017) – A regional tournament for women supporting the United Nations 17 Global Goals dubbed ‘Global Goals World Cup (GGWCup)’, will be held in Nairobi Kenya on 5th March 2017.­

The Royal Danish Embassy, Safaricom, Save the Children, UNDP and Eir-Soccer; partners in this tournament will assemble 24 teams of passionate women to experience the sheer joy of playing soccer and the meaningfulness of taking a stand for the world they want.

We stand side by side with children in the world's toughest places.

Game of Thrones actor and UNDP Goodwill Ambassdor, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, will referee the tournament. The winning team gets a spot in the global final to be held in New York City in September 2017.

“The Danish government is proudly supporting Global Goals World Cup. The 17 global goals, including their recognition of gender equality, are fundamental for our international engagement. It is indeed worth playing for. In Kenya, the Danish government for many years has supported women empowerment, women’s sexual and reproductive health and rights – and it is still a very important focus. I am happy to invite our partners to the tournament, playing for fun, creating awareness for the millions of women and girls in Kenya for whom the fight for their rights is deadly serious,” says Ulla Tørnæs, Denmark’s Minister for Development Cooperation.

“The 17 UN global goals for sustainable development are a must win battle for our generation. Winning this battle requires an extraordinary and unified effort from governments, NGOs, private companies and civil societies, but the real key to success is that we – the people – get engaged and take action,” says Safaricom CEO, Bob Collymore.

GGWCup is global movement initiated and executed by the award winning Danish Soccer organization Eir-Soccer. The movement originated in Copenhagen and is rapidly spreading to all continents of the world.

“Children represent more than half the population, and the future. Efforts towards achieving the SDGs must serve the needs of the most disadvantaged children, and explicitly link the different areas of children's well-being, such as learning and education, health and sanitation, nutrition, and protection from violence,” said Save the Children’s Kenya Country Director, Duncan Harvey. 

The tournament uses the power of sport to unite and inspire individuals all over the world to take positive actions. The football matches are played by a different set of rules, awarding points for both scoring goals as well as working for the 17 Global Goals for Sustainable Development.

“The UN Sustainable Development Goals are crucial in setting the development agenda as well as advancing inclusivity of all citizens towards achieving sustainable and equitable human development, guaranteeing that no one gets left behind. Therefore, this is an excellent opportunity to bring people together to engage and raise awareness of the most pressing challenges of our time,” says Siddharth Chatterjee, UN Resident Coordinator to Kenya and UNDP Kenya Resident Representative.

The events draw high-level political support, and engage local and international stars as referees, commentators and ambassadors. In 2017 fans will be fired up by events in four global regions: Africa, Europe, North America and Middle East and North Africa, adding more regions of the world in 2018.

NOTES TO THE EDITOR:

The GGWCup began in Copenhagen in 2016, as a tribute to the power of sport to change the world. The GGWCup tournaments raise awareness of the most pressing challenges across the different continents while showcasing the power of regular people to take action and address the issues.

The football matches are played by a different set of rules, awarding points for both scoring goals as well as working for the 17 Global Goals for Sustainable Development. In order for teams to qualify, they must choose one of the Global Goals to play, advocate and mobilize for.

In 2015, UN Member States endorsed the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), expected to guide the development agenda through 2030. The SDGs are aligned with the Government of Kenya development agenda of vision 2030 and its commitment that no one gets left behind.

DETAILS:

Event will be held at the Impala Club along Ngong Road, in Nairobi.

Please follow us on Facebook for updates, profiles on the teams playing, VIP participants and other media stories. You can also get the latest updates by following #GGWCup.

Registration via Eventbrite

CONTACT:

Save the Children: Bella Nyamamu +254 722772370, Bella.Nyamamu@savethechildren.org and Bill Kembo +254 726480014, bill.kembo@savethechildren.org

UNDP: Mwendwa Kiogora Mobile: 0722725237 mwendwa.kiogora@undp.org 

Eir Soccer: Rikke Rønholt  rr@eirsoccer.com

See this video from the Copenhagen Cup: https://vimeo.com/188793354

Go to www.ggwcup.com for more information. 

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