On September 15, 2017, in Geneva, Switzerland, the UN Human Rights Council (UN HRC) adopted the Joint Statement of Turkmenistan and Brazil "On encouraging valuable contribution of Olympic refugee teams in strengthening peace and human rights", initiated by the Government of Turkmenistan.
According to this document, UN HRC member states welcome the participation of refugees and refugee teams in major international multi-sport events, as pioneered in the Rio 2016 Olympic Games and, most recently, replicated in the 2017 World Championships in Athletics, organized on 04−13 August in London, and the 2017 Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games, to be held from 17 to 27 September, 2017, in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan. The statement also notes that, besides being a symbol of hope worldwide, the participation of refugee teams in sporting events has the potential to bring global attention to the magnitude of the current refugee crisis and raise awareness about the need to tackle its causes. The countries supporting this statement welcome the participation of refugee teams in mega and major sporting events, as a means to combat all forms of discrimination and promote peace, sustainable development and human rights. In the spirit of mutual respect and friendship, member states of the Council called on all UN member states to support initiatives on the participation of refugee teams in major international sporting events while strongly encouraging host countries hosting such events to implement them.
A number of UN member states, including Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Argentina, Belarus, Brazil, China, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Honduras, France, Georgia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Morocco, Panama, Peru, Romania, Sudan, South Korea, Syrian Arab Republic, Tajikistan, USA, Uruguay, Uzbekistan and others became as the co-authors of this statement.
It should be noted that some of these countries in coming years will host the Olympic Games, including South Korea (hosting the XXIII Winter Olympic Games in 2018), Peru (hosting the XVIII Pan-American Games in 2019), Japan (hosting the XXXII Summer Olympic Games in 2020), China (hosting the XXIV Winter Olympic Games in 2022), France (hosting the XXXIII Summer Olympic Games in 2024), USA (hosting the XXXIV Summer Olympic Games in 2028) and others.
It should be noted that the 36th session of the UN HRC continues its work in Geneva which takes place from 11 to 29 September, 2017.
