Paper short abstract:

Citizen participation and collective action are crucial in transforming society, strengthening actions for human rights, expanding capabilities. The paper proposes the results of the panel work at Global Dialogue Week 2023 on the The Ocean Race 2022-23 case, a sport event focused on sustainability programs and the voice given to people for active role in international policy spaces

Paper long abstract:

Key words: SDGs, basic capabilities, environment and sustainable development, participation, freedoms

The paper is based on the panel organized by the Sustainable Human Development TG within the Global Dialogue Week 2023 (GDW 2023) .

The panel was a Sustainability-focused event having at the same Table some key policy, sports, organization, practitioner and academic people contributing and discussing the impact of The Ocean Race 2022-23 edition (TOR) sailing event, a sport event with a Sustainability program at the core of its organization gathering experts in each City Race Leg to discuss and finalise guidelines that could inform a Universal Declaration of Ocean Rights.

Taking the inspiration from the top international sport sailing event the paper investigates sustainability dimensions including governance, international versus local policy, the adoption of management standards, the identification of relevant sustainable management phases, sea economy sectorial interrelations, impact of internal and external communication on audiences, local vs central resources, the implementation of social responsibility and environmental-friendly practices.

The Ocean Race organization within the Policy Summit Process prepared the document “We are the Ocean and the Ocean is us - Establishing a new relationship between humankind and the Ocean” to be presented at the United Nations General Assembly Week 78, in New York on September, 2023 for the definition of a "declaration of the ocean and waters rights".

The racing with purpose sustainability program featured furthermore the most comprehensive science initiative created by a sporting event.

The competitors sailing teams completed their lap around the planet, giving their contribution also to scientific research; through their program they wanted, in fact, to make a significant impact by fostering ocean education and driving actionable change for the ocean.

The Italian city of Genoa, renowned for its historic sailors and great explorers was the final leg of The Ocean Race edition 2022-23 the round-the-world race, that in more than 6 months long route touched the cities of Alicante, Cabo Verde, Cape Town, Itajaì, Newport, Aarhus, Kiel fly-by, The Hague.

The OR together with the Olympics represents the world’s longest and toughest team sailing sporting event.

The paper investigates complex issues linked both to the event and the promotion of the ocean protection rights (SDG 14) and how to promote economic growth and sustainable human development making cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable (SDG 11).

The paper addresses the assessment of how citizens can have in practice an active role in expanding their freedoms: the sustainable human development demand of responsibility, the request of effective and efficient institutions as a question that we have to think as a global challenge for the next generations starting from the Brundtland Report to the more recent revisions (Sen, 2010-2013).

The academic discourse aimed firstly to explore the connection of a sport event with the sustainability framework of Capability Approach, and afterwards to discuss the concept of City of Capabilities, the key role of the City for expanding inclusive growth and development as well as spaces for people's freedoms and flourishing.

The capability approach offers a framework on how a comprehensive concept of sustainable human development can lead to widen the range of policies concerned with economic growth and human development encompassing policy, organization; it is a way of understanding and unveiling people's freedoms. A capability approach to cities requires to examine the freedoms that individuals have, the opportunities available, the civic participation and involvement. The freedoms that individuals have to pursue, which they have reason to value and the opportunities available for those values.

The paper confirms the growing relevance of sports events and sport institutions in involving people and citizens participations in international policy spaces. The emerged urgency of sustainable measures, guidelines, indicators has also inspired young researchers to provide interest groups, in the field of destination management, studies and analysis for frameworks to support the inclusion of sustainable growth principles in the planning, implementation and reporting phases of the development strategy. 

We can argue that sustainability missions and racing with purpose programs in the sport industry can be successfully explored, and are potentially able to influence business, society and tackling environmental issues and the cause of the enhancement of ocean rights.

The city should be an engine of human development and of growth. The sea is seen as an engine of economic growth and it can be also an extraordinary engine of sustainable development and expansion of people's freedoms. 

The paper shows also how cross-cutting actions planned at international and EU levels together with broad public mobilisation and engagement can produce an impact.

Furthermore the adoption of innovative forms of sustainability and citizenship which include a CA framework is a clear answer to the intergenerational ethics requests.

The aim of the paper is also to explore guidelines to support sustainable principles in the planning, implementation and reporting phases of the event organization. Sustainability events management has emerged to be necessary in communities, to protect the environment and develop the local economy. Analysis of the barriers when translating sustainability into actions within events and the lack of planning and performance standards have been under discussion.