One Young World

Crown Prince Haakon was joined on stage at the ExCel London conference centre by US poverty eradication activist John Hope Bryant and Finnish professor of philosophy Pekka Himanen. The three men collaborated to establish the Global Dignity initiative in 2006.

“If we look at the great leaders throughout the ages, such as Mother Teresa and Gandhi , we see that they all had one thing in common: The desire to confer dignity on others. By enhancing other people’s dignity, we also enhance our own,” said the Crown Prince to the young conference delegates.

Emerging young leaders

About 1,000 future leaders from around the world are meeting to discuss topics such as political leadership, global health, interfaith dialogue, global business, the media and the environment.

The conference began on Monday with presentations by South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu and peace activist Sir Bob Geldof. On Tuesday, the delegates attended various plenary sessions chaired and guided by current world leaders such as former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, former President of Peru Alejandro Toledo, and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Muhammad Yunus.

Norway represented

Two of the Norwegian participants are Bushra Ishaq, leader of the Muslim Student Association of Norway, and Ingeborg Gjærum, former leader of the environmental organisation for youth Natur og Ungdom.

This is the first time the conference has been held. It concludes on Wednesday.