Dubai: Dubai-headquartered Sustainable Mindz and Denmark-based Eir Soccer have announced the launch of Global Goals World Cup UAE (GGWCup UAE) — the first women’s only global football tournament in the Middle East supporting the United Nations’ 17 Global Goals.

The GGWCup UAE will be hosted in Dubai on January 19, 2018, under the patronage of the Danish embassy in Abu Dhabi, Save the Children International and the United Nations Development Programme. The tournament will drive awareness about the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and the need to empower young girls and women around the world.

Sustainable Mindz and Eir Soccer believe that the UAE is a great location for the first edition of the GGWCup in the Mena region. The tournament is a one-day, spectator friendly, five-a-side football tournament for women and girls, assembling 24 women’s teams to experience the sheer joy of playing football and the meaningfulness of taking a stand for the world they want.

Commenting on the GGWCup UAE launch, Merete Juhl, ambassador of Denmark to the UAE, said: “We are glad to be associated with the GGWCup in the UAE. The sustainability goals give both the international community as well as the global public a clear direction towards what must be achieved to ensure a better future. By empowering each other, women can shape and achieve this future.”

Majken Gilmartin, co-founder of the GGWCup, said: “We are very pleased to include Sustainable Mindz in the GGWCup family. We have high expectations for the value Sustainable Mindz will bring to the GGWCup group especially through their great experience and network in the private sector. We are looking forward to a long-term partnership, through which we will build a strong GGWCup presence and tradition in the Mena region for years to come. The GGWCup is part of celebrating the growing commitment in the region to sustainable development and gender equality, and giving local companies and organisations a great opportunity to join our global community in showing their support for the sustainable development goals.”

Noora Mohammad, founding partner, Sustainable Mindz, said: “We are very excited to partner with Eir Soccer to host the GGWCUP in the UAE and further in the Mena region. The initiative is in line with the vision of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, who seeks the UAE to be a global hub and a successful model of the sustainable development for future generations.

“At Sustainable Mindz, we believe that collaboration is key in achieving the global goals and every stakeholder in the community can make a difference. The 100 days of SDG action in the UAE will kick off with a series of powerful events that will look at showcasing the power of sports to engage the community and women in particular in taking action to support the achievement of the UN goals.”

The GGWCup has become a ground-breaking prototype of how to unite multiple stakeholders around a shared desire to engage their local community in realising UN Global Goals. The events draw high-level political support and engage local and international stars as referees, commentators and ambassadors. The GGWCup ambassador and Bollywood superstar John Abraham will be part of the tournament in January.

“The GGWCup is an amazing tournament that uses sports and women to inspire change and action. The Global Goals are only going to work if we fight for them, and make sure that everyone knows about them. I am extremely happy to be associated with the GGWCup and I strongly believe that without the active involvement of women the SDGs cannot be achieved. I look forward to be part of the GGWCup in this region,” John Abraham said.

The tournament uses the power of sport to unite and inspire individuals all over the world to take positive actions. The football matches are played by a different set of rules, awarding points for both scoring goals as well as working for the 17 Global Goals for Sustainable Development.

Women of all ages are invited to play at the tournament by setting a team of 5 to 8 female players and choosing one of the 17 goals to advocate for, registering on www.ggwcup.com. The winning team gets a spot in the global final to be held in New York City in September 2018. Each year, regional invitational tournaments are held on several continents with winning teams participating in the annual global final in New York City, held during the UN General Assembly week.

Over the next years, the GGWCup is building a worldwide community of teams, connected by their love of football and their desire to change the world one goal at a time. The strategic partners for the GGWCup in UAE are UAE Football Association, United Nations Global Compact (Local Network) and Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs), Choithram & Sons and HomeCycle.