One Young World 2024-2025

Day 1 Highlights at the One Young World Summit 

Sir Bob Geldof’s opening words set the tone, while Maria Ressa’s call to defend truth reminded us that reliable information can build or break societies, and that young voices carry great responsibility. Her message to be “smarter, not louder” urged us to lead with integrity, not just visibility. As well as the CEO of Chanel reinforced that true leadership aligns values with actions and that empathy still has room in leadership, that being a shark is not the solution. Through these sessions, we learned that meaningful change grows from collaboration, purpose, and courage, challenging and inspiring us to act with intent and authenticity.

Day 2 Highlights at the One Young World summit 

On the third day, we explored inclusion, belonging, and leadership, topics that deeply resonated with the Leadership and Diversity Chair. Conversations on disability, creativity, and empathy highlighted the power of lived experiences and the need to co-design spaces where everyone truly belongs. Pernod Ricard showed how conviviality can bridge divides, encouraging open dialogue even with those we disagree with. Discussions on fact-checking and AI revealed how misinformation fuels polarization. KPMG emphasized adaptability and resilience as key to leading with empathy and building inclusive, trustworthy communities. 

 Day 3 at the One Young World Summit

Thursday’s final session on patents highlighted the tension between fostering innovation and ensuring equitable access to medicine, stressing the ethical duty to balance innovation, regulation, and societal impact. We also discussed how entering new markets sustainably means resonating with and working alongside local communities and institutions to truly understand the target. For instance, uniting the Black community in SEA required collaboration with associations, creators, and companies to co-create a summit in just six weeks, something only possible through shared ownership and trust. 

After 3 days of an overwhelming load of information, inspiration, and ideas, the summit concluded. 

FEEDBACKS

Sabina : 

Grateful to be part of such an inspiring community. We kicked off with a beautiful opening ceremony and heard from truly impactful and powerful speakers. I can already feel my mindset shifting in the best way. Excited for everything this summit has in store !

Levannah :

Attending One Young World struck me. Having the opportunity to meet such powerful leaders reminded me of the responsibility young leaders have to drive purposeful change and made me realize how important it is to lead with empathy, integrity, and courage. I felt really grateful and left feeling inspired to take small but meaningful actions and use my skills to make a positive impact.

Stan :

Attending One Young World was a firm reminder of just how interconnected we as individuals are in this small planet. While we often feel quite busy juggling life and work, it was a fantastic opportunity to be reminded that at the end of the day, we’re all just humans and that we can work together to help improve each other’s lives, especially when we’re coming from such privileged backgrounds. These lessons and experiences go beyond just the handful of days we attended OYW, and it’s up to us to continue working and striving toward a better home for all. 

Julien :

The experience was truly exceptional: the diversity of the participants, with over 190 countries represented, created an extremely stimulating atmosphere. I was strucked by how people from completely different backgrounds nevertheless shared the same challenges and ideas about the future.

What struck me most were the presentations demonstrating that it's still possible to align economic performance, innovation, and societal impact. The CEO of Chanel gave a fantastic speech on the importance for a leader to remain true to their values ​​while running an organization, which I found very inspiring. The Nobel laureate from the Philippines also explained how she was able to resist an authoritarian regime simply through the power of information and independent journalism—a truly powerful moment.

These testimonies really made me think about how businesses can be drivers of impact without abandoning their economic imperatives. On a personal level, it gave me renewed hope: despite the setbacks we're seeing in the world today, there are still voices and initiatives that prove things can move in the right direction.