How many international conferences can claim to attract names like Jane Goodall, Cher, Sir Bob Geldoff, Angela F. Williams, Margaret Atwood, David Suzuki, Yoshua Bengio and Canadian Premier Justin Trudeau? Because that’s what One Young World did last week in Montréal, alongside a truly inspirational roster of lesser known but just as groundbreaking young international activists, scientists, engineers, politicians and peacemakers.
A momentous Montréal event
From September 18 to 21, 2024, Montréal had the honour of hosting the One Young World Summit, a global forum that brought together nearly 3,000 young leaders for three jam-packed, transformative days of world-changing discussing, workshopping and strategizing.
One Young World exists to identify, connect and promote young leaders, giving them a global platform, and this annual meeting—held at the Palais des congrès de Montréal for the first time this year, after a grandiose opening ceremony hosted by Mark Tewksbury and Isabelle Racicot at the supersized Bell Centre—convenes the brightest young talent from more than 190 countries and over 250 organisations working to accelerate social impact.
For young leaders, the annual summit is the landmark event of the year: it’s a chance for the individuals responsible for shaping the future of our world to come together to confront the biggest challenges facing humanity. And that’s just what they did. Subjects covered at OYW24 included:
- Ensuring Indigenous voices are represented in global decision making
- Solving climate and ecological crises
- Using AI for good
- Eradicating gender inequality in healthcare, and
- Delivering lasting peace. The speakers this year included not one, but three Nobel Peace Prize laureates: Tawakkol Karman, Muhammad Yunus and Maria Ressa.
Why Montréal was the perfect host city for One Young World
One Young World defines its ideal host cities as “culturally vibrant, youthful in spirit and forward-thinking cities that are already involved with or are looking to invest in sustainable initiatives that empower young people.”
Montréal is at the forefront of sustainable tourism and constantly wins accolades as a place not only to host events but also to live, especially where it pertains to young people. It was classed as the top student city in North America by the QS Best Student Cities ranking 2025, which means it’s top again in Canada — for the eighth time in a row. It’s also ranked one of the world’s best ecosystems for the fostering of startups, thanks to its strategic location, highly educated talent, innovative spirit, high level of performance and attractiveness for both entrepreneurs and investors. Plus, it placed 17th among the cities of its size worldwide in the Cities of the Future Index, a study that ranks metropolises using technology to create a sustainable tomorrow.
Some takeaways from OYW24
One of the best features of the summit is its lasting effect: after it’s over, the delegates graduate as One Young World Ambassadors, returning to their workplaces and communities with unforgettable Montréal memories as well as the means and motivation to make a difference. Since 2010, One Young World Ambassador projects have impacted the lives of over 41.56 million people.
This Montréal edition is already leaving a lasting impact, or in One Young World’s own words, “tangible, positive transformations unfolding globally.” Here are just a few memorable quotes from the event.
“The way we see the world shapes the way we treat the world.”—David Suzuki
“The responsible use of AI will be one of the most powerful tools in the world to counter AI used to cause violence, negativity or disinformation.”—Justin Trudeau
“Peace is fighting for democracy. Peace is fighting for justice. Peace is prosperity. Peace is development. This is the real meaning of peace.”— Tawakkol Karman
“It is said that when elephants fight it’s the grass that suffers. As Africans we know what it’s like to be the grass and we refuse to be the grass.”—Thuli Madonsela
“Let’s make it clear Al is not new. Algorithmic bias has been embedded in everyday life from education to credit reporting.”—Dr Fay Cobb Payton
“You try to erase us but we’re alive, we’re standing, we’re beautiful, and we’re strong. And the same thing for you. Keep dreaming, keep acting.”—Michèle Audette
“It will be your task to accentuate the positive and eliminate the negative, though that’s easier said than done. However, I bring a message to you from a planet far, far away, and in another time, namely: the past. The message is cheer up. It’s been worse.”—Margaret Atwood
Read this next: How to host sustainable events — in Montréal and beyond
