One Young World: my thoughts

This year I had the opportunity to attend the One Young World summit in Bangkok. It’s an amazing feat congregating youth leaders from 196 different countries together in one place to challenge status quos, discuss pertinent issues, and walk away with the desire to create solutions.

Inspirational stories and experiences from young people were available in great quantities; all you needed to do was ask, ‘So what brought you here?’ Hearts (undeniably mine too) were ignited to either keep or increase the pace of positive, sometimes radical but always sustainable change. Kofi Annan gave his regular captivating, encouraging, and challenge-offering speech. He also thanked and urged young people to seek to be the solution that this world needs.

One speaker that stood out for me was Paul Polman (Unilever CEO). Apart from the fact that he heads one of the biggest companies in the world, representing most of the household brands we love, his insight on business and social matters was extraordinary (he deserved his standing ovation). He explained the benefits of the share and circular economy and was able to communicate his points lucidly. Every question he received was countered with a precise and informed response.

Majid Nawaaz, the former member of the radical Islamist group Hizb ut-Tahrir, was also very impressive. He is the co-founder and chairman of Quilliam, a counter-extremism think tank that seeks to challenge the narratives of Islamist extremists. Arrested in Egypt in December 2001, he remained imprisoned until 2006. Reading books on human rights and interacting with Amnesty International, which adopted him as a prisoner of conscience, resulted in a change of heart. Other speakers I connected with due to various aspects such as their stories, work, experiences, beliefs and content were: Lord Michael Hastings (not being biased, of course), Professor Mohammed Yunus, and many more.

One speaker I didn’t resonate with due to a comment he made was Sir Bob Geldof. He said “Your age group are the killers in Syria. People your age are murdering people in Beirut, Sharm el Sheikh, and, most immediately in our minds, those people who went to a pop concert, tried to watch a football match, eat with loved ones [in Paris]. Those people were killed because of your generation.” I got the opportunity to share my view on that comment and it was cited in a Thai National Newspaper.

One of my many takeaways from this summit is that although global issues may seem vast, and in some cases, gigantic for just one human to tackle, the optimistic childlike desire to tackle the issue always draws the right people to you… it’s a journey of collaboration. If we cooperate with the right organisations and the right groups, bringing together our expertise, skills, and knowledge pools, global issues can be tackled effectively and efficiently. One Young World exemplifies this notion.

“You don’t have to be a certain age to take responsibility.” – Kofi Annan