One Young World, the global forum for young leaders, returns to London this week for its 2019 Summit – 10 years since the event last took place in the UK.
The Summit will take place in Westminster between October 22nd-25th. The opening ceremony, which will take place on the evening of Tuesday 22nd, will welcome over 2,000 young leaders from more than 190 countries to the capital, making it the most international gathering other than the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games to ever take place in the UK.
The opening ceremony will be hosted by Warwick Davis and include performances from the West End hit musical Everybody’s Talking About Jamie and the Royal Ballet’s award-winning soloist Fernando Montano, in addition to a welcome address from the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan.
The Duchess of Sussex will be among a host of One Young World Counsellors in attendance. Her Royal Highness is a longstanding supporter of One Young World, having first joined as a Counsellor at the 2014 Summit in Dublin, addressing young leaders on the importance of women’s rights and the role men play in achieving equality.
Since launching in 2009, One Young World has built a network of over 10,000 Ambassadors – young leaders whose work projects have impacted 20 million people worldwide. Its mission is to identify, promote and connect the world’s most impactful activists to create a better world with more responsible and effective leadership.
At the Summit, young leaders are counselled by influential political and humanitarian leaders, which this year includes Amnesty International Secretary General Kumi Naidoo, former President of Ireland Mary Robinson, Sir Richard Branson, Sir John Major and Ellie Goulding.
In addition to these humanitarian leaders, the Summit will also feature keynotes from 30 global CEOs, including Alan Jope of Unilever and Feike Sijbesma from DSM.
Key issues to discuss at the 2019 Summit in the days following the opening ceremony include: planetary health, media freedom, poverty alleviation, education and a peaceful future.
London is home to more than 600 One Young World Ambassadors whose work and projects range from fighting social injustice, tackling extreme terrorism, or holding the world’s biggest lesson on mental health.
Kate Robertson and David Jones, Co-Founders, One Young World said: “We live in a turbulent time and an era where politicians, CEOs and powerful figures, need to sit up and listen to young leaders to ensure that the positive change they demand actually happens.
“We launched One Young World to ensure that, increasingly, young leaders have a seat at the table and in One Young World they have a platform that strengthens their mandate to succeed.
“London is one of the most diverse cities in the world and has always been at the forefront of innovative thinking and developing new ideas.
“We are proud to bring One Young World home and our team has worked tirelessly to ensure that this year’s Summit is bigger and better than ever. Chosen by our community of 10,000 Ambassadors from over 190 countries, the agenda for this year’s Summit reflects the issues that really matter to young people worldwide – from climate change to violent extremism.”