By the time you read this article the all-important seventh International Conference of Ministers & Senior Officials Responsible for Physical Education & Sports in Baku, Azerbaijan, will have concluded.

Realising the importance of sports and its impact on development of vibrant societies the forum of Ministers & Senior Officials Responsible for development and promotion of comprehensive sports echo system in respective countries was established in 1976.

MINEPS is a global forum for leading governmental and nongovernmental stakeholders to develop future oriented strategies which will help to use the benefits of Physical Education (PE), Physical Activity & Sports for Development.

The first ever MINEPS conference was held in Paris in 1976, followed by conferences in Moscow 1988, Uruguay 1999, Athens 2004, Berlin 2013 and the all-important Kazan (USSR) conference of 2017 which will be remembered due to Kazan action plan jointly signed by 160 member countries that serves as the foundation of the global framework for leveraging sport for development and peace initiatives.

MINEPS is the only global platform of its kind that engages governments, intergovernmental organisations, academia & sports NGOs to facilitate intellectual and technical exchange in the field of sports & physical education. The outcomes & recommendations of MINEPS are then translated into action plans and used to strengthen the educational, cultural, technical and social dimensions of sports & PE while guiding the implementation of effective policies & practices around the world.

The collective effort of these able minds resulted in the drafting and implementation of the vital Charter of Physical Education (PE) & Sports of 1978, the creation of the Intergovernmental Committee of PE & Sports (CIGEPS) and the key platform for the integration of the International Convention against Doping in sports.

From the very first MINEPS held in Paris in April 1976 a process of international cooperation was initiated for the formulation of a strategy on Physical Education & Sports (PES) to make it an essential aspect of the right to education for developing well-rounded individuals with necessary life skills.

Since then, MINEPS has taken various policy decisions and stressed that governments translate these policies into solid action plans. A critical look at the themes and agenda points of MINEPS 4 held in Athens in 2004 and MINEPS 5 held in Berlin in 2013 reveals that maximum emphasis was placed on the governments to promote sports and quality physical education through PES in the education systems and also include the much-ignored women and games for special persons in the sports echo system.

It must be kept in mind that sustainable development starts with active, healthy and physically engaged youth at grassroots. Schools are thus a natural entry point to trigger transformative behavioural shift related to healthy lifestyle. Exposure to programmed and supervised sports and games beyond cricket at an early stage of life not only helps in becoming physically literate but also contributes in developing valuable cognitive and social skills.

To amplify impact, the Sports Education partnership programmes use Whole-School approach to support the integrated delivery education, exercise and good nutrition to build and consolidate the missing school community implementation pathways.

Pakistan after devolution of power to provinces stands confused on the subject of sports. On one hand sports has become a provincial subject with least coordination with the ministry of education, while on the other the Ministry of IPC keeps an overlapping control over sports affairs of the country.

If Pakistan has to make any worthwhile and sustainable impact in the world of sports and also achieve the SDGs, then it is imperative for the policy makers to bridge the wide gap between sports and education by launching Quality Physical Education (QPE) initiatives as part of mainstream education and break the myths of lack of space and facilities for sports in education institutions.

If we feel incapacitated to understand these intricate programmes at policy level and are unable to shun the state of mental blockade, then I would recommend that policy makers take a close look at the QPE programmes launched by African Union in general and Madagascar in particular, who have launched ten concrete pilot projects of QPE in ten different countries and established a high-level alliance for QPE and sports in Africa.

The national policy makers in the field of sports and education may like to refer to Sports Education Partnership (SEP) which is a new dynamic, data-driven, multi-stakeholder initiative of UNESCO developed in close cooperation with the education sector.

SEP has been designed by the experts to help governments develop integrated policy strategies and processes to align sports, education, health & youth programmes.

Pakistan is constantly struggling in the field of sports not just because of lack of facilities and infrastructure support, but also because of lack of a coordinated effort on the part of all stakeholders. There is no data available regarding qualified Physical Education experts and availability of sports infrastructure in schools & colleges in provinces.

If Pakistan sports have to survive and make a mark on the international sports horizon, then there is a serious need to build the capacity of all stakeholders, and adopt recommendations made in internationally recognised programmes like the Kazan Action Plan to put Pakistan sports back on the road to recovery.

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