Centre for Sport and Human Rights

The Centre for Sport and Human Rights is building a world of responsible sport - where sport is safer, fairer and more inclusive for everyone.

Through imaginative campaigns, pioneering standards, timely convenings, practical guidance, engaging education, expert assistance and catalytic events, we are building a human rights foundation for sport and with sport, providing all actors in the sports ecosystem with a principled basis to deliver activities and events responsibly, firm ground to navigate contemporary challenges, and confidence grow the future of sport rooted in universal standards.

Sport is a unique meeting point of cultures, and one of the few truly global social forces. There is nothing like sport in bringing communities together, inspiring young people, and finding points of connection across diverse societies. Indeed, sport provides a common framework that joins the global community around shared values, while showcasing the boundless achievements of individuals and teams to overcome adversity, providing a platform for engagement, inspiration and action.

Yet a gap remains between the promise and reality of sport for many people from the grassroots to the elite and professional levels. Various experiences in sport reveal that where individuals have been deprived of voice and agency, or where significant power imbalances exist, people have become more vulnerable to harm which has a detrimental effect on the legitimacy and credibility of the entire sports ecosystem.

At a time when the world needs to harness the unique power of sport more than ever, the Centre for Sport and Human Rights (CSHR) exists to close the gap between the promise and the reality of sport. Through developing and maintaining a social licence rooted in respect for human rights, sport and its unparalleled reach can be further leveraged in the interests, and with the participation, of people connected to sport worldwide.

A venture building on decades of work by many parties, CSHR is a human rights organisation for the world of sport. Underpinned by a commitment to international human rights and labour standards, CSHR delivers activities across the realms of day-to-day sport and mega-sporting events. Now recognised as the leading centre of expertise in the field, CSHR brings its global experience to bear in convening a network of significant institutions representing diverse interests from sports, business, trade unions, governments, intergovernmental and non-governmental organisations. Stewarded by Mary Robinson as Founding Chair, CSHR has a unique governance structure with the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the International Labour Organisation (ILO), formally part of its governance alongside peak global bodies representing workers, employers, and athletes.

Headquartered in Geneva, CSHR is now a specialist human rights agency working to bring all actors in the sport ecosystem together to understand and act upon their roles and responsibilities - requiring a strong and iterative focus on building trust, conducting outreach, and deepening engagement. Governed by an independent board of directors, CSHR is a non-profit organisation registered in Switzerland and the UK, dedicated to fulfilling its mission for the benefit of people and communities affected or impacted by sport, namely: athletes, workers, communities, fans, volunteers, coaches, officials, administrators, and journalists, with a particular focus on the rights of at-risk, vulnerable and historically disadvantaged groups in all parts of the world.

In systematically addressing some of the most important and emerging human rights issues in sport, CSHR has developed a track record of independent analysis as well as constructive interventions and collaborative engagement with all constituencies, earning a reputation as a trusted organisation committed to working with all actors to identify practical solutions and approaches needed to effect positive change.

In practice, CSHR is:

1 Raising awareness by drawing attention to the connections between sport and human rights and advocating for international standards across the sporting ecosystem.

2 Growing a movement by engaging broadly, convening a global network of leading institutions, developing partnerships, and fostering collective action.

3 Shaping policy by representing the sport and human rights agenda in governmental, intergovernnetal, and regional processes and fora.

4 Sharing knowledge by conducting research, developing evidence, delivering education, providing expert opinions and generating thought leadership

5 Providing tools and resources to enable institutions in sport to act responsibly and in accordance with international human rights and labour standards.

6 Offering technical support to accelerate the adoption of human rights policies and due diligence practices within sport.