A/HRC/20/11 8. The High Commissioner highlighted the fact that practicing sports contributes greatly to the development and empowerment of human beings, perhaps most of all to that of children, because it can build self-confidence, develop social, educational and physical skills and teach respect for such key human rights principles as non-discrimination, equality, accountability and participation. She stressed that sport was also a tremendous public health instrument and was, for instance, an exceptional platform to raise public awareness of HIV prevention, treatment, care and support. Moreover, sport had historically been a powerful tool for the empowerment of social or marginalized groups, such as girls and women, minorities, indigenous peoples and persons with disabilities. The High Commissioner added that, in many countries struggling with poverty or conflict, sport had assisted greatly in building development and peace; she referred in this regard to the demobilization process of child soldiers in Sierra Leone and Liberia, where children from opposing factions had been integrated in rehabilitation centres and placed in mixed football teams. 9. Given the unique media attention attracted, the Olympic and Paralympic Games had an enormous potential to promote awareness and understanding of human rights. The High Commissioner therefore encouraged the host organizers of the upcoming Olympic Games in London and Rio de Janeiro, and on the sites of Sochi in the Russian Federation and PyeongChang in the Republic of Korea, to pay special attention to the promotion of human rights, for instance, through varied promotional activities and campaigns. The High Commissioner stressed that, given the impact of such mega-events, it was essential that human rights implications be duly considered at all stages and by all actors involved. She referred specifically to housing rights in this regard. 10. Like any social activity, sport could also have potentially negative side effects. The High Commissioner therefore recommended that measures should be taken to prevent sport becoming a source of human rights violations. She stated that the International Olympic Committee must assume the moral leadership to ensure that human rights norms are fully integrated and respected in the sporting world. She also called on all international human rights mechanisms, especially the relevant special procedures mechanisms of the Human Rights Council and the treaty bodies, to look carefully and systematically at the promotion and protection of human rights in the context of sports. 11. The moderator, Jeremy Browne, stressed the importance of making a connection between the values embodied by the Human Rights Council and those by the Olympic Games. Indeed, the principles underpinning the Olympic Charter, such as nondiscrimination and equality, were also the bedrock of human rights. He stated that the Olympic Games were not just a celebration of sport; they were a celebration of shared humanity. Billions had watched the previous Beijing Games and it would be important for the London Games to harness this attention to demonstrate the wider economic, social and cultural agenda that the Games stand for. 12. Sir Mills underlined the importance that the meeting reflect on the role of the Human Rights Council and the Olympic Games in these difficult times, and stated the importance of growing cooperation between the United Nations and the Olympic Games. He recalled that, in 1948, when the Olympics were last held in London, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was also adopted. It was also then that the first competition for war veterans with spinal cord injuries was held, which meant the start of what was to become the Paralympics. 13. Sir Mills stated that sport could be the answer to all questions, but was an agent that could be used to spread human rights across the world in this era of globalization. He illustrated how London was building on this platform to generate long-term change by using sport as an ambassador for peace, and also as a catalyst for transformation and opportunities for the young. He highlighted how the Olympic truce had been a core concept 3