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Students from Okayama University Participate in the ‘One Young World 2024 Next Generation Leaders Global Summit’
From September 18 to 21, TERASHIMA Miyu, a fifth-year medical student, and Lin Thu Kha Htaik, a third-year student in the Discovery Program for Global Learners, participated in "One Young World (OYW) 2024 Next Generation Leaders Global Summit," held in Montreal, Canada, as part of the delegation from Japan. Okayama University has been an official partner of the summit since the Bangkok, Thailand, summit held in 2015, sending two student representatives each year along with YOKOI Atsufumi, Vice President for Global Engagement, as an observer. This marks Okayama University’s ninth consecutive participation following the summits in Bangkok (2015), Ottawa, Canada (2016), Bogota, Colombia (2017), The Hague, Netherlands (2018), London, UK (2019), Munich, Germany (2021), Manchester, UK (2022), and Belfast, Northern Ireland (2023). As part of the "Okayama Dream Education Initiative" in collaboration with the Okayama Prefectural Board of Education and Okayama University, KOGATA Hiyori, a third-year student from Kurashiki Minami High School in Okayama Prefecture, a representative of prefectural high school students, was dispatched from Okayama Prefecture for the first time to participate in the summit together with members attended from Okayama University.
The 14th summit saw over 2,000 attendees from more than 196 countries. The opening ceremony took place on September 18 at the Bell Centre in Montreal, featuring a traditional welcome ceremony by the Indigenous community of Montreal and colorful flags representing various countries. Notable speakers included David Suzuki, a biologist and professor emeritus at the University of British Columbia, and Margaret Atwood, a well-known female Canadian author.
On the first day of the main sessions, Mr. Felipe Paullier, the first Assistant Secretary-General for the Youth Office, who was appointed to a senior position at the youngest age in UN history, delivered the keynote speech. Having Mr. Paullier as the first speaker also sent a strong message from OYW regarding the importance of youth being a central theme in "The Summit of the Future" during the UN General Assembly.
Assistant Secretary-General Paullier emphasized that establishing the UN Youth Office in 2023 marked the beginning of an era where youth actively participate in decision-making processes. He also strongly encouraged the 2,000 young participants at OYW, highlighting the importance of their voices in decision-making and their ability to positively change the future through their awareness and actions.
Ms. TERASHIMA Miyu and Mr. Lin Thu Kha Htaik participated in various sessions, workshops, and networking events, engaging in lively discussions with representatives from different countries on topics such as AI (artificial intelligence), Health Equity, Indigenous voices, peace, and the climate and ecosystem crisis, all framed within the context of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The next OYW Summit is scheduled for November 3 to 6, 2025, in Munich, Germany.
○About One Young World (OYW) Next Generation Leaders Global Summit
Declared at the World Economic Forum in Davos in 2009 and first held in London, UK, in 2010, OYW is one of the world’s largest summits where young leaders (ages 18-30) from over 190 countries gather annually. It serves as a global collaboration of government, business, and academia aimed at training the next generation of leaders to address global challenges. The scale and network of this initiative continue to expand rapidly.
Participants at the summit are designated as "OYW Ambassadors," gaining access to a network of approximately 17,000 talented young people around the world over the years. The summit is supported by global leaders and notable figures, including Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, founder of Grameen Bank, as well as prime ministers, presidents, government officials, leading companies from the Fortune 500, cultural and sports figures, media representatives, NGOs, entrepreneurs, and artists.
○Global summit for future leaders One Young World (OYW)
After being declared at the 2009 World Economic Forum (known as the Davos Forum; headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland), OYW has become one of the world’s largest summits, bringing together young leaders (18-30 years old) representing more than 190 countries. It has taken place annually since it was first held in London, the capital city of Great Britain, in 2010. OYW is a project for developing the next generation of young leaders in a global collaboration of industry, government and academia for the purpose of solving challenges on a global scale faced by the world, by having the next generation of young leaders cooperate under world leaders. Its scale and network continue to rapidly expand.
Summit participants, who are given the title of “OYW ambassadors”, have the opportunity to create long-lasting connections with about 17,000 talented young people from around the world.
Including Muhammad Yunus, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and founder of the Grameen Bank, the summit is supported by many OYW counsellors comprised of prime ministers and presidents, government officials, leading companies in the global Fortune 500 ranking announced by Fortune magazine (United States), as well as global leaders and prominent figures in a variety of fields, such as culture and sport, media, NGOs, entrepreneurs, and artists.
The 14th summit saw over 2,000 attendees from more than 196 countries. The opening ceremony took place on September 18 at the Bell Centre in Montreal, featuring a traditional welcome ceremony by the Indigenous community of Montreal and colorful flags representing various countries. Notable speakers included David Suzuki, a biologist and professor emeritus at the University of British Columbia, and Margaret Atwood, a well-known female Canadian author.
On the first day of the main sessions, Mr. Felipe Paullier, the first Assistant Secretary-General for the Youth Office, who was appointed to a senior position at the youngest age in UN history, delivered the keynote speech. Having Mr. Paullier as the first speaker also sent a strong message from OYW regarding the importance of youth being a central theme in "The Summit of the Future" during the UN General Assembly.
Assistant Secretary-General Paullier emphasized that establishing the UN Youth Office in 2023 marked the beginning of an era where youth actively participate in decision-making processes. He also strongly encouraged the 2,000 young participants at OYW, highlighting the importance of their voices in decision-making and their ability to positively change the future through their awareness and actions.
Ms. TERASHIMA Miyu and Mr. Lin Thu Kha Htaik participated in various sessions, workshops, and networking events, engaging in lively discussions with representatives from different countries on topics such as AI (artificial intelligence), Health Equity, Indigenous voices, peace, and the climate and ecosystem crisis, all framed within the context of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The next OYW Summit is scheduled for November 3 to 6, 2025, in Munich, Germany.
○About One Young World (OYW) Next Generation Leaders Global Summit
Declared at the World Economic Forum in Davos in 2009 and first held in London, UK, in 2010, OYW is one of the world’s largest summits where young leaders (ages 18-30) from over 190 countries gather annually. It serves as a global collaboration of government, business, and academia aimed at training the next generation of leaders to address global challenges. The scale and network of this initiative continue to expand rapidly.
Participants at the summit are designated as "OYW Ambassadors," gaining access to a network of approximately 17,000 talented young people around the world over the years. The summit is supported by global leaders and notable figures, including Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, founder of Grameen Bank, as well as prime ministers, presidents, government officials, leading companies from the Fortune 500, cultural and sports figures, media representatives, NGOs, entrepreneurs, and artists.
○Global summit for future leaders One Young World (OYW)
After being declared at the 2009 World Economic Forum (known as the Davos Forum; headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland), OYW has become one of the world’s largest summits, bringing together young leaders (18-30 years old) representing more than 190 countries. It has taken place annually since it was first held in London, the capital city of Great Britain, in 2010. OYW is a project for developing the next generation of young leaders in a global collaboration of industry, government and academia for the purpose of solving challenges on a global scale faced by the world, by having the next generation of young leaders cooperate under world leaders. Its scale and network continue to rapidly expand.
Summit participants, who are given the title of “OYW ambassadors”, have the opportunity to create long-lasting connections with about 17,000 talented young people from around the world.
Including Muhammad Yunus, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and founder of the Grameen Bank, the summit is supported by many OYW counsellors comprised of prime ministers and presidents, government officials, leading companies in the global Fortune 500 ranking announced by Fortune magazine (United States), as well as global leaders and prominent figures in a variety of fields, such as culture and sport, media, NGOs, entrepreneurs, and artists.
Opening ceremony
Left to right, Vice President Prof. Yokoi, Mr. Lin Thu Kha Htaik, Ms. KOGATA Hiyori, Ms. TERASHIMA Miyu
Keynote speaker Mr. Felipe Paullier, the first Assistant Secretary-General for the Youth Office
Ms. TERASHIMA Miyu participating in a workshop (second from right in the front row)
