One Young World is delighted to announce the shortlist of Candidate Cities competing to host the eighth and ninth annual Summits, taking place in 2017 and 2018.
Four cities are in the running to host the Summit: Belgrade, Serbia; Bogota, Colombia; Paris, France and The Hague, The Netherlands. The winners of the Host City Bid Process will be announced at the end of September 2015.
One Young World was co-founded by David Jones and Kate Robertson in 2009. The Summit brings together 1,350 young leaders from over 190 countries, making it the most international gathering of young people in the world, other than the Olympic Games.
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At the Summit, young delegates are joined by global dignitaries who lend their stature to mentor and guide them in their discussions. In previous years these have included President Bill Clinton, Kofi Annan, Mary Robinson, Professor Muhammad Yunus, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Arianna Huffington and Sir Richard Branson.
Since the first Summit in London in 2010, One Young World has been hosted in in Zurich (2011); Pittsburgh (2012); Johannesburg (2013) and Dublin (2014). This year, the Summit will be held in Bangkok, Thailand and the 2016 Summit will take place in Ottawa, Canada.
One Young World Co-Founder Kate Robertson said:
“As always, One Young World is honoured that such a variety of world cities want to host this unique event. We believe that hosting One Young World can have a meaningful impact on the young populations of the Host Cities and are delighted that we have four such iconic locations who want to welcome our delegates.”
Sinisa Mali, Mayor of Belgrade, said:
“Belgrade is a perfect host for One Young World as it is strategically at the confluence of The Danube and Sava rivers. Since ancient times Belgrade has been an important focal point of traffic, at the intersection of the roads of Eastern and Western civilizations. Today Belgrade is the city of entrepreneurial youth, international investment projects, vibrant cultural heritage, delicious food and cosmopolitan mindset.”
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Gustavo Petro, Mayor of Bogotá said:
"Human Bogota would not exist without the active participation of its youth, of these new urban expressions that through graffiti, extreme sports, defending animals and seeking solutions to serious environmental problems have been empowering and participating, both actively and creatively, in a new type of urban development that is innovating Bogota.
Is this youth, that fights against segregation and has taken inventively and artistically the streets of Bogota, which is ready to welcome the One Young World Summit, thereby allowing the exchange with young people from other countries and being able to show them that the foundation of the city and politics in general, are the human beings, and that the order of things is not perpetual, nor immutable. Welcome to the Human Bogota, diverse and colourful."
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Anne Hidalgo, Mayor of Paris, said:
“Paris is being considered to host One Young World – I know that I am speaking for all Parisians in expressing the great pleasure that our city would take in hosting this event. Paris is today’s world leader for trade shows, conferences, and congresses. This ranking stands as a testament to our city’s reputation, entrepreneurial spirit and ability to create and innovate.”
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J. J. van Aartsen, Mayor of The Hague:
“The Hague is known as the international city of peace and justice and it is no exaggeration to state that decisions made here affect the entire world and the whole of humanity. The Hague’s unique profile will enable One Young World to create awareness, reach a greater audience of young people from all over the world and to actively contribute towards building a better world”
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