The One Young World Summit will be coming ‘home’ next year to London, the city where it all began back in 2009.
This Tenth Anniversary Summit will be the largest ever staged, with 1,500 young leaders from every country in the world coming together in Westminster between October 22nd and 25th, 2019.
Welcoming the news today, the United Kingdom Prime Minister Theresa May spoke of the importance of the event in finding answers to the “pressing issues” currently facing the world.
"One Young World has helped transform the lives of thousands of young people worldwide," she said.
“Around the world, this generation of young people is the most informed, the best educated, and the most interconnected in human history,” she said. “For centuries, London has been a crucible for creative thinking and the free exchange of ideas. The delegates who come next year will work together to identify solutions to some of the most pressing issues facing our societies.”
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “Today’s young people are the leaders of tomorrow – so I am delighted that London has been selected as host city for next year’s One Young World global Summit."
“Our great city has always been at the forefront of innovative thinking and developing new ideas, so I am sure London will provide the perfect backdrop for discussing how to tackle some of the most critical global issues such as climate change, human rights, gender equality and conflict resolution," he said. “It is also a further sign that London is Open – not only for hosting important global events – but for welcoming talented people from around the world.”
One Young World was co-founded by Kate Robertson and David Jones and has built a network of over 9,000 Ambassadors – young leaders whose work projects have impacted 17.5 million people worldwide. In 2017 alone, 2.9 million people were impacted as a result of the work undertaken by Ambassadors and, for every $1 invested, the One Young World community delivered a social return of $13.
“David and I 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,” said Ms Robertson. “Bringing One Young World home to London marks a great moment for the organisation and we are excited to get the young leaders of the city involved.”
She called on powerful figures in global politics and business to take heed of the messages from the One Young World Ambassador community. “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.”
Will Dickson and Ozzie Clarke-Binns, Host City Bid Committee Leaders, said "With Brexit looming, it's a perfect time to showcase London and the UK for its obvious strengths of being a global hub of people, ideas and a great environment for international and SME businesses to grow."
"It's a great melting pot of cultures and creativity, a leading city for a vast array of diverse industries, which continues to draw people from near and far. London has always been a home to people from all backgrounds and nations and it will be a great way to show our values of these things on a truly global platform where everyone can feel and see London as a second home."
The 2019 Summit will see high-profile leaders working with young Ambassadors to share ideas on making positive social impact. In previous years this group of Counsellors has included Nobel Peace laureates, heads of state, campaigners and activists including Kofi Annan, Sir Bob Geldof, Muhammad Yunus, Mary Robinson, Justin Trudeau, Emma Watson and Meghan Markle.
Previous One Young World Summits have taken place in London (2010), Zurich (2011), Pittsburgh (2012), Johannesburg (2013), Dublin (2014), Bangkok (2015), Ottawa (2016) and Bogota (2017). The 2018 Summit is taking place in The Hague, Netherlands.
