INDIGENOUS games record-holder Andrew McLeod will head to Geneva next week as part of an AFL contingent invited to address the United Nations Human Rights Council on the issue of combatting racism in sport.

McLeod will join AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou, government relations manager Phil Martin, community engagement manager Jason Mifsud and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander social justice commissioner Mick Gooda in Switzerland for the conference to be held on Australia Day.

The event coincides with Australia’s first Universal Periodic Review in the UN Human Rights Council on January 27 and is an opportunity to highlight how the AFL’s racial vilification code and other development and lifestyle programs have contributed in helping to eliminate racism in sport and the broader society.

McLeod accepted the position of community engagement and talent coordinator with the AFL, following his retirement from the game last August and said the 10-minute address to high-profile delegates of the UN HRC would be the biggest challenge he has had in his new role.

"It’s a great opportunity and very exciting, but it’s a bit daunting too…I still haven’t got my head around it," McLeod told afl.com.au.

"When you think of Geneva you think the Geneva Convention and of all of the delegates and people that are involved with it.

"I’m just looking forward to being able to represent the AFL and everybody involved with the AFL."

The AFL won a United Nations award for its ground breaking racial and religious vilification code, which was established in 1995 after Essendon champion Michael Long took a stand against a racial slur made by former Collingwood ruckman Damian Monkhorst.

In 2009, the wording of the rule was expanded to prohibit vilification on the basis of a special disability or sexual preference.

McLeod said it was important the code continued to evolve, as the AFL seeks to increase its presence in China, New Zealand and the South Pacific.

"The fact that we’ve been invited to address the UN HRC just goes to show that the AFL is a world leader when it comes to being able to implement a program like the racial vilification code and develop it," he said.

"It’s all come about through education- educating players, clubs and officials. There are over 750,000 players that play the game itself and then there are the officials, who are involved as well.

"It’s no easy feat to educate that number of people, but the AFL has done that over a long period of time. They’ve showed that it works and except for the early days when there were a couple of instances where it was tested it’s certainly stood the test of time.

"I’m not saying it’s perfect and it will still develop and grow. Today, the code involves not just race, but religion and disability and who knows where it can go in the future."

The dual premiership player and Norm Smith medallist admitted to having some nerves ahead of his address to the UN HRC, but said another aspect of his Swiss adventure was likely to cause him more stress than the event itself.

"Addressing the UN will be quite scary, but the hardest thing is going to be leaving (hot) weather like this behind and going over there where it’s about minus-two degrees Celsius," McLeod said.

"I’ve never seen snow before, so it would be nice to get up on the ski slopes and check that out, but we’ve got to go over there and do a good job first."