Jadir Taekwondo Association

Martial Arts Coalition for Sustainable Development

9 February, 1:15–2:30 pm (New York time)

Virtual side event (online)

Jadir Fialho Figueira is the President and Founder of the Jadir Taekwondo Association, a Brazilian nonprofit organization with over 20 years of experience using sport as a tool for social inclusion, education, and sustainable development. His journey in taekwondo began through a social project, later leading him to serve as Head Coach of the Brazilian National Taekwondo Team and Technical Coordinator of the Brazilian Taekwondo Confederation. He is also the co-founder of the Martial Arts Coalition for Sustainable Development, a global initiative uniting organizations that use martial arts to advance the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and has led award-winning programs impacting thousands of young people from underserved communities.

Danilo Malafaia is a Brazilian martial arts advocate and co-founder of the Martial Arts Coalition for Sustainable Development (MCS), a global platform launched at the United Nations ECOSOC Youth Forum to unite martial arts organisations in advancing the UN Sustainable Development Goals. As Administrative Director of the Jadir Taekwondo Association (AJTKD) and a 3rd dan black belt with over a decade of experience teaching and mentoring youth, he drives initiatives that blend martial arts with environmental education, social inclusion, and community empowerment. He has presented MCS’s vision and grassroots impact on international stages, including UN high-level forums, helping position martial arts as a catalyst for sustainable development and cross-sector collaboration.

Luke Lamprecht is a South African child protection and development specialist with over three decades of experience working with vulnerable young people and communities. He is the Director of Fight With Insight, a boxing-based youth development initiative in Hillbrow, Johannesburg that uses sport to engage and support children facing behavioural, legal, developmental and social challenges. Lamprecht is also a consultant on child protection issues, convenes the Johannesburg Child Advocacy Forum, and regularly delivers talks and workshops on topics such as social cohesion, leadership, mental health and youth development.

Špela Lampe is a leading figure at Judo Club Golovec in Ljubljana, Slovenia, a long-standing community-based judo organisation. Under her leadership, the club advances judo as a catalyst for inclusive social development and lifelong learning, participating in innovative projects that connect generations, promote health and wellbeing, and use martial arts to strengthen community bonds and quality of life.

Wayne Wong is a film scholar specialising in global martial arts and action cinema, with interests in aesthetics, politics, and cross-cultural circulation. He is the author of Martial Arts Ecology: Aesthetics, Philosophy, and Cinematic Mediation (Edinburgh University Press, 2026) and an editor of Martial Arts Studies. He directs Project Sifu (2025, 45 mins), a documentary and community filmmaking initiative that empowers UK youth through martial arts cinema and creative collaboration.

Estelle Jean is Founder and Executive Director of Yoga and Sport With Refugees, an organisation that uses sport and yoga to create safe, inclusive spaces for refugees and displaced people across Greece, France, and beyond. With a background in humanitarian work and sport, she leads efforts that bring diverse communities together through physical activity, build resilience and wellbeing, and empower displaced individuals to become leaders and coaches in their own communities.