Photo Credit: UNICEF
The International Cricket Council (ICC), the global governing body of cricket, and UNICEF announced today the extension of their partnership until 2027, in pursuit of a shared vision to empower girls and women through cricket.
Based on significant success over the last eight years, this renewed collaboration reflects ICC and UNICEF’s commitment to utilizing cricket’s popularity – the second most played and watched sport in the world – to help accelerate gender equality. The renewal continues to provide a critical platform to reach millions of children, adolescents, and their families, and positively impact their lives and communities through the unique emotional connection and reach of cricket.
During the 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup held in India, the Ministry of Education in India, in partnership with UNICEF, placed CRIIIO 4 GOOD on the Digital Infrastructure for Knowledge Sharing, a national platform for school education, which shares the message that both girls and boys must enjoy equal opportunities to realize their rights and fulfil their aspirations. The modules are currently available at more than 1.5 million schools across India, and have left a legacy of gender equality, which is now being scaled up across the country.
Over the next four years the partnership will promote girls’ participation in cricket, building leadership and cooperation skills, through ICC’s major cricket events in the West Indies, the United States, Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, South Africa, and Sri Lanka.
Championing gender equality through the power of cricket
“Harnessing the power of cricket to build a better future is a central part of our global growth strategy. We are delighted to continue to work alongside UNICEF and build upon our existing corporate social responsibility programmes that use the platform of the game’s biggest global events to drive positive change,” said Geoff Allardice, Chief Executive Officer at ICC.
“We have an enormous opportunity in the next 18 months with the first ICC Women’s T20 World Cup being held in Bangladesh later this year and the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 in India to continue promoting equality in our sport.”
“The International Cricket Council, with its reach in the global cricket community, is a powerful ally in UNICEF’s efforts to advance gender equality. It is especially exciting to see ICC’s rapid development of women’s cricket tournaments, which will result in more powerful women role models in the world of sports, contributing to the global push for gender equality. This partnership has already empowered girls and women around the world. I am looking forward to seeing even more of an impact in the coming four years,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell.
The confirmation of the partnership comes just before the commencement of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 in the USA and the West Indies, beginning on 1 June in Texas. Each of the 20 teams will deliver ICC Cricket 4 Good clinics, where local children can learn to play the game and meet their heroes at each of the nine host venues.
