ICSS
Mr. Mohammed Hanzab, Founder and Chairman of the International Centre for Sport Security (ICSS), received on Sunday official recognition by the League of Arab States, in honor of his work and achievements in the field of sport for peace and development and the organization’s commitment to promote sport values across nations since its inception in 2010.
The recognition was announced during a ceremony organized by the Secretariat General of the League of Arab States on the occasion of the first commemoration of the Arab Sustainability Day launched in the context of Arab efforts to implement the 2030 Sustainable Development Plan.
The event, which took place in the headquarters of the League, based in Cairo, was held under the theme of “Pioneers of Sustainability in the Arab region” and featured, inter alia, a session on “Entrepreneurship in the era of sustainability” and a competition between young entrepreneurs in the areas of sustainability.
The list of the honored personalities also features several dignitaries, including H.E. Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, HRH Princess Reema bint Bandar Al Saud, Saudi Arabia's Ambassador to the United States and Dr. Hala El-Said, Minister of Planning and Economic Development of the Arab Republic of Egypt, along with Pan-Arab officials and representatives of public and private sectors and civil society.
In his keynote speech at the plenary session, H.E. Ahmed Aboul Gheit lauded Mr. Hanzab’s contributions in protecting values of sport and sport integrity as part of the ICSS’s continued efforts in implementing and introducing innovative sport-based initiatives and projects.
For her part, H.E. Ambassador Nada El Agizy, Director of the Sustainable Development and International Cooperation at the League of Arab States, said honoring the ICSS Chairman and pioneer dignitaries from the Arab world reflects the Arab League’s keenness to promote the efforts exerted by key peoples and organisations in the Arab region to achieve sustainable development goals.
In this context, she said that the ICSS’s Save the Dream global initiative should serve as a role model in the Arab world to promote the core values of sport and to empower youth through sport.
“The League of Arab States is looking forward to working closely with the Doha-based ICSS to explore the best means of promoting sustainable development through sport, using sport as a tool to achieve sustainable development and to empower youth across the Arab countries,” she concluded.
Commenting on the occasion, Mr. Mohammed Hanzab, Founder and Chairman of the ICSS expressed his deepest thanks and gratitude to H.E. Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, praising the launch of the Arab Sustainability Day initiated by the League of Arab States.
“This is the right time to bring together pan-Arab efforts to promote infrastructure of sport-based economy and to use sport as a tool to inspire youth across the Arab World,” Mr. Hanzab said.
Mr. Hanzab also affirmed the ICSS’s firm commitment to join hands with the League of Arab States to ensure the best use of sport as enabler for social change, prevent violent extremism and achieve the 2030 Sustainable Development Plan set by the Arab League.
In his role as the Chairman of the ICSS, Mr. Hanzab has endorsed several agreements with governmental, non-governmental, sport organisations and the scientific community – all as part of his commitment to fulfilling his mission for the ICSS to be a service to sport and to play a central role in keeping sport safe, secure and fair.
In 2013, under his leadership, the ICSS with the support of the Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) and Ooredoo as Technology Partner launched Save the Dream, a global initiative designed to promote and protect the core values of sport for the good of youth and future generations.
In 2014, the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the United Nations endorsed the appointment of Mohammed Hanzab as member of the Board of Trustees of the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI).
Since 2021, Mr. Hanzab was re-elected as Vice-Chairman of the Sport Integrity Global Alliance (SIGA), a coalition of international private-public organisations co-founded by the ICSS to tackle the numerous and urgent governance challenges facing sport.
Mohammed Hanzab’s work to drive integrity in sport was recognised in 2015 when he was named as one of the 100 Most Influential People in Business Ethics, an annual, internationally recognised list that defines and advances the standards of ethical business practices.