One Young World
One Young World is a UK-based not-for-profit organization that gathers young leaders from around the world to develop solutions to the globe’s most pressing issues. One Young World stages annual summits in different cities where delegates from charities, non-governmental organizations, corporations and universities are joined by world leaders, acting as counsellors. From 2009 to 2015, One Young World staged six annual summits with a total of 8,000 delegates between the ages of 18 and 30 from 196 countries. By 2018, the number of annual summits reached nine.
Founding
Founded in 2009 by Kate Robertson and David Jones, One Young World hosts an annual international summit for ambassadors and speakers to collaborate and debate innovative solutions for global issues. The summit attendees range from corporations, non-profits, and governments and the young individuals they influence to provoke better understanding. Per Robertson, the summit intends to turn well selected delegates into future ambassadors who will be motivated to emerge in leadership positions. "There is a complete disconnect between what people under the age of 30 want and what is being delivered to them. That is the case in many, many instances. It is very important that their voices as leaders are raised and are sufficient noise as to not be ignored." is also one of the founding partners of the One Young World summit and every year supports the attendance of young leaders. To date, over 100 talents from developing and underrepresented countries have participated under the auspices of OFID.Delegate attendance
Applicants can apply to attend a summit either individually or under one of over 500 participant organizations. The applicant can either an employee from within the organization or sponsored by the organization. Should a candidate opt to attend individually, they may attend via scholarship or out of pocket. Delegate fees cover accommodations for the length of the conference, ground transportation and meals. Applicants must apply to One Young World with typed essay format answer to questions posed on the application form by a certain deadline each year. Chosen applicants will then opt to attend an interview either in person or virtually to become candidates. Individuals attending the summit for the first time are considered delegates. At the closing ceremony, delegates graduate to ambassadors and are afforded the opportunity to join ambassador networks to continue their independent social and environmental initiative work outside of the Summit.Summits
The One Young World Summit, which has been referred to as a “Young Davos,” is an arena where delegates discuss global issues and develop solutions "to meet the challenges of the 21st century." Topics are chosen by a survey of former delegates. The summit is facilitated by counsellors who have been politicians, activists, chief executive officers, musicians, models and chefs.Since One Young World’s founding in 2010, there have been six subsequent summits, the first being in London, England, in February 2010. Subsequent summits were held in:
- Zurich, Switzerland, 2011;
- Pittsburgh, USA, 2012
- Johannesburg, South Africa, 2013.
- Dublin, Ireland, 2014
- Bangkok, Thailand, 2015
- Ottawa, Canada, 2016
- Bogota, Colombia, 2017
- The Hague, Netherlands, 2018
Notable Counsellors
Kofi Annan
has spoken to delegates at four Summits. He is a Ghanaian diplomat who served as the seventh Secretary-General of the United Nations for 9 years. He was a co-recipient of the 2001 Nobel Peace Prize with the UN. He is the Founder and Chairman of the Kofi Annan Foundation, as well as being the Chairman of The Elders.Muhammad Yunus
is a Bangladeshi social entrepreneur, banker, economist and civil society leader who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for founding the Grameen Bank and pioneering the concepts of microcredit and microfinance. Yunus was a Counsellor at One Young World Summits: 2010 in London, 2011 in Zurich and 2012 in Pittsburgh.Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu
Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu is a South African social rights activist and retired Anglican bishop who rose to worldwide fame during the 1980s as an opponent of apartheid. He received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984; the Albert Schweitzer Prize for Humanitarianism in 1986; the Pacem in Terris Award in 1987; the Sydney Peace Prize in 1999; and the Gandhi Peace Prize in 2007. He spoke to delegates at the One Young World Summits in London and Zurich.Vicente Fox
was President of Mexico from 2000 to 2006. His term in office marked the end of 71 years of uninterrupted rule by the Institutional Revolutionary Party. He joined 4 other Latin American Presidents at the One Young World Summit 2014 in Dublin, Ireland to discuss the Telefonica Millennial Survey].Meghan Markle
was a Toronto-based American actress who performed the character of Rachel Zane in the 7-year TV Series "Suits." She was a counselor for international charity One Young World and she attended its 2014 and 2016 summits. At the 2014 summit in Dublin, she spoke on the topics of gender equality and modern day slavery.Additional Councellors include Jamie Oliver, Natalia Vodianova, Jimmy Wales, Pete Cashmore, Marc Keilburger, Dambisa Moyo, and Thuli Madonsela.
One Young World Summits
2010
The first Summit was held in London on 8–10 February 2010. Topics were environment, interfaith dialogue, global business, media, global health and politics. It drew 823 young people from 112 countries.2011
The 2011 Summit was held in Zurich, Switzerland on 2011 September 1–4. It was opened by Haakon, Crown Prince of Norway, who spoke on the 2011 massacre in Utoya, Norway, and on his Global Dignity initiative. Plenary topics were global business, media, global health, interfaith dialogue, environment and leadership.2012
The 2012 Summit was held at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on 18–21 October 2012. The plenary topics were education, global business, health, human rights, leadership, sustainable development and transparency. Former President Bill Clinton of the United States was the keynote speaker.Pittsburgh was the first U.S host city and the first to host smaller breakout sessions for delegates in offsite locations throughout the city.
2016
In 2014 Ottawa, Canada submitted and won the bid to host the 2016 One Young World Summit. Planning and staging for the event was a two-year undertaking for the city of Ottawa and supporting organizations. The opening ceremony was held on Parliament Hill on September 28 to an audience of over 1,300 delegates, ambassadors, and world leaders. External breakout sessions were conducted at over 15 sites throughout the city to focus on discussion topics. A unique characteristic of the 2016 summit was the local community's participation in events, hosting delegates in their homes for an evening dinner. The Ottawans hosted a total of 135 dinners.Plenary Sessions focused on global issues related to Education, Global Business, Health, Human Rights, Peace and Security, the Environment and Indigenous Reconciliation.