LaLiga appointed United Nations Goodwill Ambassador on Migration

CAIRO – 21 March 2019: The UN agency has acknowledged the work carried out by LaLiga in its fight against racism and the two institutions will now work together in these pursuits.

Under the auspices of the Ministry of Sports of Egypt, LaLiga today, signed a collaboration agreement with IOM, the official UN Migration Agency as a UN Goodwill Ambassador on Migration.

Present at the ceremony were the following senior officials; Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports, Dr. Amr Al Haddad; Deputy Head of Mission of Spain to Egypt, Pablo Barbara, Head of the UN Migration in Egypt, Laurent de Boeck, and Juan Fuentes, LaLiga’s delegate in Egypt.

The signing ceremony was also attended by several ambassadors of the countries that have a player of their nationality currently representing a LaLiga club, as well as United Nations officials and several figures from the world of sport such as Eng. Khaled Mortagy and Mohamed Serag, board members of Al Ahly SC.

Coinciding with the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, LaLiga and the UN agency showed their commitment to eradicating racist behaviour, both in the wider world and in sport.

Through this agreement, LaLiga will contribute to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the 2030 agenda, which includes such aims as fighting against inequality.

Thanks to this agreement, it is expected that initiatives will be established across the world, as LaLiga delegates will be in contact with the IOM Chiefs of mission in different countries.

IOM, the International Organization for Migration, works to integrate migrants within their destination countries.

LaLiga is a truly global competition with 50 different nationalities represented among its players, nine offices and 45 delegates around the world.

"There’s no doubt that football is a tool that can help us to achieve our goals, given that it is a leading sport to which everyone pays attention," said Laurent de Boeck, IOM's Chief of Mission in Egypt.

"LaLiga has been working for years in the fight against any type of racist or violent behaviour, specifically in football but also in the wider world of sport. We are pleased to collaborate with IOM on this agreement as it is an important step to help raise awareness about our role within society, and how we hope to further educate our community on issues such as migration," added Juan Fuentes, LaLiga’s delegate to Egypt.

Among other initiatives, LaLiga organization has launched training projects such as lectures and activities in schools, workshops on integrity and the prevention of violent and racist behavior in the dressing rooms of LaLiga clubs, and has compiled a variety of informative literature for fans.