The two organisations joined up to host the International Sport Cooperation Conference here today, and according to Hebecker it presents a "very fruitful new brotherhood of spreading hope to refugees".

Speaking after WTF President Chungwon Choue had delivered his keynote speech on the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation, which aims to teach the sport in refugee camps around the world, Hebecker said he was "deeply inspired" by the ISC’s initiative to hold this year’s conference under the theme of "Sport for a Better World".

He noted that there are now 60 million refugees worldwide, the highest number recorded since the Second World War, and although the UNHCR has a budget of around $7 billion (£4.6 billion/€6.3 billion), he conceded that "sport is often the last thing for which funding is made available".

Estimating that only 10 per cent of refugees have access to sport, Hebecker said that the UNHCR is looking to establish long-term partnerships with numerous organisations.

“It is totally acceptable to UNHCR if someone says I want to donate 50 footballs,” he said in the concluding dialogue session.

“We’ll bring the footballs to the refugees but there’s very little that this will do for sport and development - the principles we’ve defined here.

“I think the difference will come from a strong, multi-dimensional commitments where people invest in people’s future using sport.”

After earlier showing a video clip on the UNHCR’s "ninemillion.org" internet-based campaign, designed to bring sport to refugee and displaced children around the world, Hebecker suggested taekwondo could form the basis for a new campaign.

"That campaign [ninemillion.org] is closed, but it’s an example from the past, and to be very honest, after concluding this campaign, UNHCR has not been able to come up with a new campaign, so maybe taekwondo will be the new campaign," he said.

"What I would like you to take out of this [conference] are two words - simple and change.

"With very simple initiatives, we can change the lives of many refugee children and adolescents."

Professor Kim Taek-yoon of Seoul National University also spoke during the conference, advising in a presentation on the UN's Sustainable Development Goals that sporting programmes need to be linked to long-term aims and well aligned with local and national plans.

Thierno Alassane Diack, executive director of Olympafrica, noted the importance of minimising the secretariat with his organisation boasting just four paid staff.

Instead, Olympafrica uses more than 1,000 volunteers to create and staff the physical infrastructure - including sporting and socio-educational complexes - demanded by local people.

The last speaker, Ha Jae-pil of Gyeongsang National University, presented on sport and development, noting that sport has become a universal communication platform and is gaining increased traction as a tool for development.

During the conference, an "idea wall" was installed, on which attendees were invited to post suggestions and ideas.



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