RIYADH, 24 November 2006 — The local chapter of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) is to organize a football match today under the patronage of Prince Khaled Ibn Al-Waleed Ibn Talal at the Kingdom Schools stadium here.
A group of players from the Saudi national team together with a number of young boys between the ages of 14 and16 will take part in this soccer event, with captain Sami Al-Jaber, UNDP’s goodwill ambassador, at the helm
“These boys will represent various schools of the capital city,” said UNDP spokeswoman Dima Bashir Al-Azem. “This activity, the first its kind to be organized here, aims at raising young boys’ awareness about the UN’s Millennium Development Goals (MDGs),” said Dima, noting the pledge made by the Kingdom at the “UN Millennium Summit” in New York in Sept. 2000.
“Within its keen interest for the well being of its citizens and global development, Saudi Arabia participated in the Millennium Summit with a high level delegation represented by the then Crown Prince Abdullah,” said Dima. She cited the extensive development infrastructures required for the achievement of the MDGs and the various national development aspects at large. The Kingdom has already published its first MDG report for the year 2002.
The UNDP spokeswoman said the match kickoff is set for 3 p.m. The activity includes a documentary film showing on “Youth & Development”, and the honoring of players by Dr. El-Mostafa Benlamlih, the UN resident coordinator & UNDP resident representative.
Benlamlih will speak about the youth’s role and responsibility toward achieving human development and the relevance of sports.
The UNDP is the UN’s global development network, advocating for change and connecting countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. At the moment, the UNDP has offices in more than 166 countries.
World leaders have pledged to achieve the MDGs including the goal of cutting poverty in half by 2015. UNDP’s network links and coordinates global and national efforts to reach these goals within the time frame.
