One Young World 2022 is the world’s largest and the most influential annually-held conference for young leaders worldwide. This year, the event was held in Manchester, United Kingdom during Sept 5-8, 2022. The conference ended beautifully, and Belfast, the capital of Northern Ireland, was announced as the host city in 2023.
One Young World brings together more than 2,000 of the world’s brightest young leaders from 190 countries, including world leaders, to inspire and expand the knowledge and skills required to prepare young people to lead change and drive the world toward sustainability.
As for Thailand, with the effort to provide young Thais to lead social change with world-class experience, Charoen Pokphand Group (C.P. Group), sponsored students from Chulalongkorn University, and Thaksin University, and young people from various business units. A total of 24 people succeeded in being selected to play a major role in promoting sustainability in Thailand and around the world.
World-class guests, included Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations, Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada, Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, and Prof. Muhammad Yunus, Bangladeshi economist and 2006 Nobel Peace Prize winner. The youth from Thailand unanimously said that One Young World gave them the chance to discuss, exchange ideas, and learn about sustainability from other nations. The concept of resolving numerous global issues, which these new generations share, is to find a better way to solve the problems for the future and believe in the power of youth to drive changes for Thailand and the rest of the world for sustainable progress and happiness.
Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, addressed the opening ceremony saying that One Young World was the best think- tank imaginable. She said, “The younger generation is the force of positive changes and right now, change is a necessity everywhere in the world. Moreover, the younger generation is the present and future of the world. Although we often talk to them about what to do in the future and discuss choices for solving issues from previous generations, one crucial thing to keep in mind is what we are doing right now because it is the beginning of everything. Now is the time for a new generation full of enthusiasm and energy to collaborate and create a better tomorrow together.”
Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada, referred to One Young World as an unmatched gathering of young leaders from all around the world. He said, “One Young World 2022 addressed crucial concerns on the global agenda and provided a platform for discussions among youth from 190 nations in five aspects – conflict prevention, gender equality, oceans, ethical leadership, and health.”
Bandarawan Chinchai, a student pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Information and Communication Engineering at Chulalongkorn University, and an intern in the True Academy Project, True Corporation Plc, was one of the attendees from Thailand and represented the Thai flag at the opening ceremony this year in Manchester, United Kingdom. She said that she was very proud to be the one who brought the Thai flag on the stage of One Young World 2022. She was overjoyed to be able to participate in One Young World 2022. She wanted to alter the environment in Thailand by spreading the information and many viewpoints that have been shared with young people from other countries, “because,” she said, “leaving a legacy is significant for the coming generation. It is like planting good seeds for them. Therefore, we ought to band together to affect change and make the world a better place for everyone to live in.”
Prior to attending the conference, Supachai Chearavanont, Chief Executive Officer of CP Group, who has long supported youth through this project pointed out four key issues that are challenging the world – equality, digital transformation, climate change, and disruption. He stated that the new generation must work together to find ways to deal with and solve these issues urgently.
This is consistent with Prof. Muhammad Yunus’ conclusion that, “It is a great pleasure to bring young people from all over the world together, since they will decide what kind of world they wish to create and how they will work together with young people from other countries. If this world is a spaceship, we are not just passengers but the crew and pilot who must drive it in the direction we want. To do this, we must create a world of three zeros – zero net carbon emissions, zero poverty, and zero unemployment. This is the world we want to create. Great things always start with small steps. This is One Young World and our commitment.”
The following One Young World 2023 is scheduled for Belfast, Northern Ireland on Oct 2-5, 2023.
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