Today marks the start of the 9th annual One Young World summit in The Hague, The Netherlands. More than 1800 young leaders from over 190 countries are set to gather this evening at the Peace Palace, the world-renowned temple for peace and justice, for a spectacular opening ceremony featuring Queen Máxima of The Netherlands and a tribute to the late Kofi Annan, a long-standing Counsellor at One Young World.
This year’s summit runs from 17-20 October, with key themes including human rights, sexual violence, the role of business in society and the societal repercussions of climate change.
The Hague is the International City of Peace & Justice and home to the Dutch government as well as various leading businesses and social start-ups. The Summit will take place at the World Forum, located among prestigious international institutions including the International Court of Justice.
Unilever CEO Paul Polman and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus are amongst this year’s headline speakers alongside actors and activists Amber Heard, Terry Crews and Rosario Dawson.
The closing ceremony on Saturday will see the One Young World host city baton passed on to London for next year’s tenth anniversary Summit.
Seven Hills is the international communications partner for One Young World working with media organisations from around the globe.
View last year’s summary video here.