82,000 young people supported by 11 projects across four countries: Full impact of SYCP Initiative revealed at Conference
- Seven key commitments revealed at inaugural SYCP Conference in Bangkok.
- The IOC and AFD invest more than one million Euros in 11 sport and youth crime prevention projects across Lao PDR, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam over next 18 months.
- Initiative to form part of community legacy for the 33rd Southeast Asia (SEA) Games being hosted by Thailand between December 9-20.
More than 82,000 young people across four countries will be supported by the Southeast Asia Sport and Youth Crime Prevention (SYCP) Initiative over the next 18 months.
This was one of seven key commitments made at the inaugural SYCP Conference, held in collaboration with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), at the Grand Fourwings Convention Hotel in Bangkok on 27-28 November 2025. The event convened over 130 professionals from the Olympic Movement, UN and international agencies, government ministries, development financing institutions, the private sector, academia, youth leaders and civil society.
Together, participants explored how sport can contribute to building safer and more resilient communities across Southeast Asia. The conference was organised as a component of the SYCP Initiative, which was initiated by Agence française de développement (AFD) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and is being delivered by a consortium coordinated by the Alliance of Sport.
At the conference, the IOC and AFD committed to investing more than one million Euros in 11 sport and youth crime prevention projects operating across Lao PDR, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. Collectively the grantees pledged to reach 82,379 young people, and enhance support for 11,488 coaches, teachers and parents before the programme finishes in mid 2027.
The conference took place in the lead-up to the 33rd Southeast Asia (SEA) Games being hosted by Thailand from 9-20 December. SEA Games Federation CEO Dato Seri Chaiyapak Siriwat announced that the SYCP Initiative will form part of the community legacy of the Games. Organisers of the Games have announced their intention to work together to ensure that the SYCP Initiative continues to grow and benefit future SEA Games hosts and communities across Southeast Asia.
At the conference Edward Hayco, Commissioner for the Philippines Sports Commission, committed to integrating sport-based youth crime prevention training into grassroots coaching nationwide, while Philippines Department of Justice Assistant Secretary Atty Michelle Anne Lapuz pledged to work with the SYCP Initiative to pilot a programme addressing violence against women and girls.
Meanwhile AFD’s Thailand and Regional Office Deputy Director Nicolas Tateossian committed to exploring innovative investment models and co-financing pathways, contributing to the development of a regional investment roadmap to support the growth and sustainability of the SYCP Initiative.
Read the full Outcomes Document from the inaugural SYCP Conference.
The Inaugural SYCP Conference
Convened by the IOC and AFD in collaboration with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the inaugural SYCP conference aimed to deepen cross-sector partnerships, strengthen regional capacity and stimulate policy alignment and co-investment.
With the theme “Building Safer and More Resilient Communities Through Sport”, the conference examined how sport can support prevention, intervention and recovery, while also highlighting emerging evidence and shared practices from across Southeast Asia and around the world.