Physical literacy (PL) refers to the combination of motivation, confidence, physical competence, knowledge, and understanding that enables individuals to engage in physical activity throughout life. Despite increasing recognition of its importance, initiatives around the world have often remained fragmented. The new framework therefore proposes a coordinated set of goals, principles, and actions to help move the field forward and strengthen collaboration across sectors such as education, sport, health, and public policy.

The framework was developed through an extensive international consensus process involving experts from multiple regions and academic societies. Through iterative discussions and thematic analysis, the contributors identified key priorities and action areas for advancing PL globally.

From a Swiss perspective, the publication highlights the role of the UNESCO Chair on “Physical Activity and Health in Educational Settings” at the University of Basel in contributing to this international dialogue. Switzerland demonstrates relatively strong alignment between physical education curricula and the physical literacy framework. Key physical literacy principles, such as movement competence, participation, and holistic development, are reflected in curricula. However, the concept is often implicit rather than explicitly stated, and implementation varies, indicating good alignment overall but opportunities for clearer conceptual integration and policy emphasis.

Furthermore, an important finding was: a country’s "literacy orientation" isn't that much driven by economic wealth. Instead, it rather follows clear gradients of:
🎓 Educational Attainment
🌱 Human Development
💡 Innovation Spirit

Such research initiatives are particularly timely: despite growing awareness of the benefits of physical activity, many populations, including Switzerland, remain insufficiently active worldwide. By promoting PL as a holistic educational and public-health concept, the new framework aims to support more inclusive and sustainable approaches to physical activity promotion across the lifespan.

The publication represents an important step toward aligning international efforts and strengthening the evidence base for policies and educational practices that foster active and healthy societies.

Further information can be found here: Carl, J., Salin, K., Barnett, L. M., Foweather, L., Jurak, G., Martins, J., Müller, I., O’Brien, W., Venetsanou, F., Singh, A., Elsborg, P., Goss, H., Lundvall, S., Pavlova, I., D’Anna, C., & Vlček, P. (2026). Alignment of physical education curricula with physical literacy across Europe: An observational mapping study with country-level predictors. The Lancet Regional Health – Europe, 65, 101641. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lanepe.2026.101641