LIV Golf partners with UN Refugee Agency to deliver 'innovative Sport-for-Protection'
LIV Golf has a new partner: the United Nations. The controversial golf tour has officially linked with the UN's Refugee Agency to create a first-of-its-kind team-up for protection programs for refugees and displaced people.
LIV has committed $10 million to increase access to sports and education for up to one million displaced people in the countries of Africa, Asia, Europe, and South America. Additionally, those most at risk will benefit from the introduction of golf and play-based activities that seek to improve the quality of life.
Khaled Khalifa is the UNHCR’s Senior Advisor and Representative to the Gulf Cooperation Council countries. He said via the LIV website:
“UNHCR believes strongly in the power of sport. We have seen firsthand that it can provide displaced children and youth with a sense of purpose and inspiration at a time of great personal upheaval. Sports bridge communities and fosters team spirit, well-being, and community cohesion, especially for people who have been forced to flee their homes and their host communities."
Khalifa said they are "excited to announce the launch of this partnership" with LIV Golf, stating that their aim is to make a "significant positive impact" in the communities they are targeting. They want to improve the lives of those around them by "creating opportunities, fostering friendships, and establishing career pathways" for those in need.
LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman discusses UN partnership
Greg Norman is the head of LIV Golf, and he has been key in getting the tour to its place now. That includes its brand-new partnership with the UN Refugee Agency, where they aim to improve the communities and lives of refugees and displaced people in need.
Norman said in a statement via the LIV site:
“We’re proud to partner with the UN Refugee Agency to make a positive impact in the world through sport. LIV Golf’s ‘Potential Unleashed’ strategy is utilizing the game of golf as a force for positive change, and we are honored to be the first professional golf organization to work hand-in-hand with UNHCR to help deliver its meaningful programming and initiatives.”
He continued to say that LIV "players, teams, and league are dedicated to making the game of golf more inclusive" while utilizing the sport to improve the lives of individuals and communities as well as provide educational opportunities that might otherwise not be there. The CEO called it a "significant step to broadening that reach and impact across the world."
Sport for protection, which is what LIV is doing with the UN, helps create safe spaces and improves the quality of life and health of refugees and the overall communities in which they abide. LIV will be active in community centers, schools, camps, and clubs. Their attempt is to make golf more accessible to people of all ages.