Leaders of the regional government of Rio will join the EU ambassador in Brazil along with Brazilian footballing legends and social activists this week at a conference to explore the link between large sports events and social inclusion.

The conference takes place on June 20 and 21 as Brazil hosts the FIFA Confederations Cup, the first of a series of sporting mega events as part of a 'decade of sport', as it faces the challenges of building an inclusive society.

'Mega Events, Inclusion and Human Rights' will aim to set out a vision of sporting events that are inclusive and reinforce the fight against intolerance, including racism, homophobia and gender inequality. Contributions will also come from UNICEF, UNESCO, fan activists and NGO's brought together by the State of Rio de Janeiro with the support of the Fare network.

The conference is the first stage of a partnership between the regional government of Rio and Fare through which good practice in the field of anti- discrimination and sport for development will be shared. The second stage will be a 'Peace Embassy' to be organised during the 2014 World Cup as a means of bringing together fans to reinforce messages of anti- discrimination, and support cultural exchanges.

On behalf of the State of Rio, the State Secretary of Social Assistance and Human Rights Zaqueu Teixeira commented, "Rio will play its role in hosting the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup and the 2014 FIFA World Cup, and the 2016 Olympics will be in our city. We want to take into account these mega events and use them as a means of developing Brazilian society. This will include campaigns against intolerance, respecting human rights and to develop an agenda of social legacy.

"Our objective is to bring together opinion formers, human rights activists, NGO's, former athletes, and local communities from Rio with international guests and experts. We are pleased to be working with Fare, especially after noting their responses to global issues."

The overview conference programme is available here