One Young World 2011

Desmond Tutu, Bob Geldof and Muhammad Yunus are among the established leaders who will share their experiences with the delegates, primarily young leaders under the age of 25. The Crown Prince and Crown Princess will also be speaking with the delegates and participating in group discussions aimed at equipping these future leaders with the skills and knowledge they need to succeed.

- We have more in common than what separates us

Crown Prince Haakon officially opened the conference this evening . Referring to the terrorist attacks on the Government buildings in Oslo and on Utøya on 22 July, the Crown Prince emphasised that it was up to each of us to decide how we would let these tragic events affect us, stressing the importance of coming together to build on what we have in common:

- This is what One Young World is about.
There is great opportunity in this meeting. It is up to you now. Use the next days to build bridges, seek profound truth, find common ground - and move the world forward.

This was Crown Prince Haakon’s call to the young leaders, who in the days to come will discuss topics such as global health, the environment, the global economy, the media, leadership and dialogue across religions.

Global Dignity on the programme

During the conference the Crown Prince and Professor Pekka Himanen will conduct a “Dignity Session” in the main auditorium. One of the main messages of the Global Dignity initiative is that in order to live a life based on dignity we must be given the opportunity to realise our full potential.

The Crown Prince and Professor Himanen also conducted a “Dignity Session” at Zurich International School earlier today. The school has approximately 1 500 pupils from over 50 countries. Eight of the pupils are Norwegian. The Crown Prince and Crown Princess acted as mentors for the pupils in discussions about dignity, and several of the pupils shared their stories of dignity with the rest of the pupils and teachers at the school in the concluding plenary session.