The OFC Vision, set in three cycles of four years, recognised that sport has a role in our society to promote six key objectives: education, capacity building and empowering women, national identity and international recognition, public health, economic opportunities and community development.
A number of achievements both on and off the field are a highlight of the first cycle (2007-2010) of the OFC Vision, which ends in December this year. None more so than the recognition of the Pacific Forum Leaders who met in Vanuatu from 3-5 August acknowledging OFC, its Members Associations and clubs’ efforts and continuous hard work to play their part in the sustainable development of Oceania communities.
The Pacific Forum Leaders noted:
“…the regional efforts by the Oceania Football Confederation to promote health, education, citizenship and social integration among the youth of the region. Leaders agreed to task the Forum Secretariat and SPC to work with OFC to develop an appropriate framework that incorporates this initiative into current regional activities and to report back to leaders.”
As a result, the OFC Executive Committee will assemble in Tonga from 17-20 October to define the actions and targets for the next two cycles of the OFC Vision (2011-2018), in particular with respect to the sport for development initiatives OFC will implement in the region.
Furthermore, with the assistance of OFC General Secretary Tai Nicholas and OFC International Relations Director Franck Castillo, the OFC President and former French Polynesia Youth and Sports Minister (1998-2004) Reynald Temarii will invite to Auckland a variety of regional stakeholders. These will include the Forum Secretariat and SPC representatives in addition to the Australian Sports Commission, ONOC and OSFO, to a meeting on October 21, 2010, to define the appropriate coordinated framework for sport for development initiatives led by OFC.
For the Confederation, this important meeting will have three main objectives.
Firstly, it will be an opportunity to present the initial evaluation report of the Pacific Youth and Sports Conference and the Youth and Sports Ministers’ meeting, six months past their conclusions.
Secondly, it acts as the initial preparation meeting for the second edition of the Pacific Youth and Sports Conference initiated by OFC and to be held in 2013. This will also include issues to be discussed at the next Pacific Youth and Sports Ministers’ meeting held in conjunction with the Conference.
Finally, it will give OFC the opportunity to share the resolutions approved in Tonga.
Deeply grateful for this mutual accomplishment, President Temarii states: “I wish to thank, congratulate and encourage all volunteers from the Oceania Football family including coaches, referees, club officials and parents for their ongoing commitment.
“Their actions contribute in developing our children and youth in order to make them become responsible adults respecting their environment,” President Temarii says.
“Our region stands out with the beauty of our landscape and we must preserve it with an educational policy in cooperation with parents, schools, churches and every association including sports so that all of us in the Pacific will learn to live together in harmony.
“With globalisation, just dealing with issues faced by our society today in our respective small islands states is no longer sufficient. Indeed, we must be united as one region.
“This explains why regional NGO’s such as OFC have an essential role to play in the region and I am pleased that our actions today are acknowledged by the Pacific Forum leaders, although I am fully aware there is still a lot to do.”