Delegates arriving for One Young World Summit in Belfast receive big welcome

A spirited combination of music, dance and welcome smiles from volunteers greeted those arriving for the global Summit, as they arrived from destinations around the world yesterday.

The visitors were stopped in their tracks by a musical spectacle featuring a Riverdance style line-up of dancers from the Causeway Coast and an award-winning brass band from County Down.

The One Young World Summit gets underway this evening in Belfast with a stunning opening ceremony at the SSE Arena and continues until Thursday.

During the event, more than 2,000 future leaders from more than 190 countries will come together to tackle some of the biggest issues facing the world and accelerate social impact.

Northern Ireland’s giant spirit will be on display throughout the week as Northern Ireland hospitality comes to the fore during the delegates’ packed agenda.

They will also soak up the buzz of Belfast’s Cathedral Quarter and dine out in restaurants across the city, enjoying world-class food and drink, with local music, arts and culture provided along the way.

Naomi Waite, Director of Marketing at Tourism NI, said: the summit is an exciting opportunity for Northern Ireland to showcase to the world what a wonderful place it is.

“Thousands of young people from all over the planet will be in Northern Ireland this week and what better opportunity for us to really put on a show and highlight what a world class destination we are.

“They have just experienced a giant local welcome at the airport today and I know this is just the beginning for these delegates.

“These young people will be our future leaders and we know they will leave Northern Ireland having had four of the most incredible days of their lives.

“This Summit has the power to leave a true legacy here, which will be felt for years to come.”

Ella Roberston McKay, Managing Directo of One Young World, said the team have been blown away by the welcome they have received in Northern Ireland.

“There is a real energy about this wonderful diverse city and we are so thrilled to be bringing the One Young World summit to Belfast.

“The next four days will be truly transformative for the young leaders attending. This is an opportunity for a global delegation to come together to shape the future of our world. We have some of the most influential people in the world gathered here in Belfast, to inspire, share learnings, and connect with a truly international delegation.”

The delegates will be counselled by influential political, business, and humanitarian leaders such as President Mary Robinson, Queen Rania of Jordan and Didier Drogba.

Additional Counsellors include football legend, Rio Ferdinand, Rugby World Cup winner, Francois Pienaar and British-Iranian journalist and author, Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe.

One Young World Belfast 2023 will be delivered with a range of private and public sector partners and sponsors in Northern Ireland – including Belfast City Council, Conference Partners International, Connected Citizens, Department for the Economy, Department of Finance, Education Authority, Tourism Northern Ireland, Visit Belfast and ICC Belfast.

Further information is available at oneyoungworld.com/summit-2023