One Young World: Global summit for young leaders begins in Belfast

Almost 2,000 delegates from more than 190 countries are in Belfast for a global summit for young leaders.

One Young World is being held in Northern Ireland to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement.

Organisers said the summit aims to create a better world through "more responsible and effective leadership".

Belfast's bid won the right to host the event over eight other cities across the globe.

An opening ceremony took place at the SSE Arena on Monday night to welcome the delegates.

Almost 2,000 young people from more than 190 countries have travelled to Belfast for the summit

As part of the four-day, not-for-profit event, delegates from around the world will take part in workshops and be counselled by political, business and humanitarian figures.

Organisers said the summit is "a chance for the individuals responsible for shaping the future of our world, to come together to confront the biggest challenges facing humanity".

Speakers include former professional footballer Rio Ferdinand, Queen Rania of Jordan, Irish entertainer and activist Sir Bob Geldof, model and activist Halima Aden and actress and UNHCR ambassador Kat Graham.

Former Afghan minister for women's affairs Hasina Safi and former Iranian-British hostage Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe are also set to inspire those in attendance.

Queen Rania of Jordan addressed the opening ceremony on Monday evening

Discussion themes for this year's summit include food crisis, education, climate emergency and mental health.

One Young World will also present an inaugural journalism prize, the Lyra McKee Award for Bravery, in honour of the journalist who was shot dead during rioting in Londonderry in April 2019.

Thursday's itinerary will focus on peace and reconciliation, with a particular emphasis on the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, and will include participation from former taoiseach (Irish prime minister) Bertie Ahern and former President of Ireland Mary Robinson.

The summit brings together future leaders from across the world to discuss some of the biggest global issues and how to accelerate social impact

"I think what's really important for Northern Ireland is for the world to take this important moment to recognise its contribution to global peace processes," One Young World's managing director Ella Robertson McKay said.

"A lot of our delegates... they weren't alive during the Troubles. So we will be reflecting on that important agreement and what other peace processes around the world can learn from that today.

"We've got delegates coming from Ukraine, Afghanistan, Sudan - and there's so much that people can learn about Northern Ireland.

"Yes, about the formal peace process, but also about the really important and hard work communities have had to do to put old divides aside, to find a new way forward."

The One Young World opening ceremony took place in the SSE Arena in Belfast

Emer Rafferty, 20, from County Armagh, is attending the summit as part of the Northern Ireland delegation and said she is delighted to see the event in Belfast.

"Belfast might never get this opportunity again, so it's really important that we make the most of it," she said.

Ms Rafferty said she is looking forward to collaborating and networking with the other delegates at the summit.

"I'm particularly interested in climate tissues and nature-related issues and so I want to know their experiences in those issues and see if we can learn anything from them," she said.

• The young leaders tackling the world's toughest challenges

• What is the Good Friday Agreement?

For Emer, the event is "not just one week of networking and it's all gone".

"It's a giant experience for me to have this," she said. "It's about making connections and networking and collaboration. That's what all of these roles take - peace and reconciliation, climate change - they all need collaboration, so if we can do that from a young age... those traits and those learnings we can get from this conference will help us down the line as well."

Another delegate from Colombia, 29-year-old Federico Perez, said the summit is "an opportunity to collaborate with other fellows and businesses" on climate-action and other issues.

"When we're able to meet people from all around the world and young people that are working in their communities, we can together build and co-create the solutions," he said.

A young delegate from Colombia said the Northern Ireland peace process inspired his country

He said the "equitable and long lasting" Good Friday Agreement "is something that really inspired" the people of Colombia.

This inspiration will be explored further in a keynote address from Juan Manuel Santos, the former President of Colombia and 2016 Nobel Peace Laureate, about how the Northern Ireland peace process inspired him to try and end Colombia's 52-year conflict with left-wing rebels