With the football World Cup almost upon us, it is worth reflecting on the power of sport in diplomacy.  In 2009 Victor Cha, the former director of Asian affairs for the White House, argued that sport matters because it can provide opportunities for interventions; can help countries to win friends; and can be less aloof than some forms of diplomacy.

The UN has recognised that this is not just a question of self-interest. In the 20 years between October 1993 and November 2013 the UN General Assembly passed 23 resolutions advocating a greater role for sport within international development and peacekeeping efforts.

This post is an extract from a blog on The Coversation website, by Professor Grant Jarvie, Chair of Sport at Edinburgh University.

The UN designated April 6 as the official international day of sport for development and peace. When the assembly made the announcement back in August 2013, it encouraged member states to recognise the role of sport in peace-building and conflict resolution.

For these reasons, numerous countries have made international sport a high priority. One good example is Norway. The Norway Cup has taken place every year since 1972 and is one of the world’s largest football tournaments for children aged 12 to 19. There are around 30,000 participants, 52 nations, 1200 volunteers and in 2012 3800 matches across 62 pitches.

The aim of the tournament is to create bonds between children and nations – and win friends for Norway through sport. The Norwegian minister of international development has talked ofthe role this project plays in promoting internationalism and co-operation between Norway and for example, Brazil, Kenya and Palestine.

Norway also funds sport and development scholarships for international students to attend Norwegian universities where you can learn about sports policy, management and international development.

Chinese assistance

In the same context, China demonstrated its support for Africain the build-up to the 2010 football world cup in South Africa by providing additional resources, knowledge and capability around infrastructure projects.

Equally the episodic cricket diplomacy between India and Pakistan demonstrates how a shared common interest in cricket has from time to time helped to cool relations despite decades of bitterness.

Many countries have set targets for the percentage of GDP that they are prepared to spend on overseas development assistance.Canada has set it at 0.7% and is suggesting that 1% of this money should be allocated to international development work through sport.

So what about Scotland and the UK? There is certainly some recognition of the merits of such approaches on these shores. The House of Lords report, Persuasion and Power in the Modern World, published earlier this year supports a similar line of thinking:

Sport has an almost universal appeal that crosses languages and cultural barriers, which makes it in the British Council’s eyes, ‘the most accessible and exportable of the UK’s soft powers’.

The UK has had its moments, notably the International Inspiration Programme, which invested in sports development projects in over 100 countries on the back of the 2012 Olympics. This was a laudable effort, but it happened on the back of one major sporting event. This is not in the same category as making a chunk of the international development budget permanently available to sport.

Times have changed as Scotland prepares for an independence referendum that looks set to attract a large proportion of yes voters. Sport has not featured heavily during campaigning so far, though that may well change when the Commonwealth Gamescomes to Glasgow in July and it has It has a great claim to being the world home of golf, even though the Dutch and Chinese might disagree.

Either way, Scotland’s reliance on the sports field for its sense of self is undiminished, it will be interesting to see if it emerges in campaigning around the independence referendum.

Tags: Diplomacy, Football, Scottish Referendum, Sport, World Cup