MONTRÉAL, Sept. 17, 2024 /CNW/ - The Palais des congrès de Montréal and Tourisme Montréal are proud to announce that the One Young World Summit 2024 opens tomorrow at the Palais des congrès de Montréal. This prestigious global event will take place from September 18 to 21, 2024, bringing together young leaders from around the world to discuss global challenges and propose innovative solutions for a more inclusive and sustainable future.

The One Young World Summit is one of the largest gatherings of young people from the four corners of the earth. Annually, it convenes some 2,000 young leaders between the ages of 18 and 35 – from 190 countries and more than 250 organizations – who are passionately working to drive social impact in their respective fields.

Beyond the estimated economic spinoffs of close to $6 million for Montréal and Québec, the One Young World Summit 2024 represents fabulous visibility and international recognition for Montréal's cultural vitality and community involvement. Impressed by the collaboration between the various actors in its tourism ecosystem, One Young World chose Montreal in 2020 as the host city for the 2022 edition of its annual Summit, from among cities such as San José, São Paulo, Kigali, Dubai and Monterrey. Due to the pandemic, the event was postponed to 2024. Starting in 2019, Montréal's bidding process, supported by Tourisme Montréal, benefited from the support of a committee of 42 young leaders and representatives of young people's interests in Montréal.

Montréal' selection for the Summit testifies to the place as well as to the opportunities the metropolis offers young people with its values of diversity and inclusion, and its commitment to sustainable development.

In Montréal, delegates will have the opportunity to participate in workshops and mentoring sessions with inspiring visionaries and experts from various fields, in order to exchange ideas, share experiences and collaborate on projects to improve society. Many leading specialists will share their enlightened advice, notably three Nobel Prize winners, Tawakkol Karman, Maria Ressa and Muhammad Yunus; singer, writer-composer, author and political activist, Sir Bob Geldof; award-winning author, Margaret Atwood; President and CEO of United Way Worldwide and renowned community leader, Angela F. Williams; and Olympic swimming champion and Vice-President of the Canadian Olympic Committee, Mark Tewskbury. 

The One Young World Summit 2024's rich program in Montréal will include inspiring talks by influential leaders from the humanitarian sector, the political sphere and the business world. Together, delegates and speakers will debate, formulate and share innovative solutions to the most pressing global challenges (sustainable development, gender equality, conflict resolution, responsible use of artificial intelligence, etc.). In the leadup to the Summit, One Young World is organizing an Indigenous Youth Day today. It will bring together Indigenous leaders and First Nations from around the world to share their experiences and learn from each other, and enable them to propose topics they would like addressed at the Summit.

An inspiring platform for young people from here and abroad, the Summit will include many young people from less privileged areas, invited to share their stories, discuss their projects and highlight their important contribution to the global community and the future of society.

At the end of the event, these young leaders are appointed One Young World Ambassadors and join an international network that helps them accelerate and optimize the achievement of their initiatives.

"In hosting One Young World, the Palais des congrès de Montréal is reaffirming its commitment to supporting meaningful events. This is an extremely important event for our planet, with thousands of young leaders working to make a positive impact on their communities. They represent an example for this and future generations, and hope for the resolution of today's global problems." – Emmanuelle Legault, President and CEO of the Palais des congrès de Montréal

"One Young World will leave a lasting impression on Montréal. In addition to promoting initiatives for a greener future, this event will showcase Montréal as an innovative, creative, welcoming and open city to participants from all over the world. For us at Tourisme Montréal, this Summit represents a precious opportunity to promote a future perfectly aligned with our Harmonious Destination strategy. I wish everyone 35 years of age and under a wonderful Summit!" – Yves Lalumière, President and CEO of Tourisme Montréal 

A creative solutions centre and a showcase for the city's spirit and expertise, the Palais des congrès de Montréal has been promoting and hosting large-scale events since 1983. Generating significant economic, social and intellectual benefits, it encourages innovation and acts as a force for progress for both Montréal and Québec. The Palais is firmly committed to sustainability and takes numerous innovative, concrete steps to make it a central component of its business development. With one of the highest customer satisfaction rates in the world, the Palais actively contributes to the international reputation of Montréal, the top host city for international events in America for six years in a row. congresmtl.com.

Tourisme Montréal is a 100-year-old private, non-profit organization that works to position Montréal as an international-calibre leisure and business travel destination. To this end, the organization is piloting innovative hospitality strategies with a two-fold objective: ensuring that visitors enjoy a memorable experience and maximizing tourism economic spin-offs in a sustainable way with long-term impacts for the city. Uniting nearly 1,000 businesses and organizations working directly or indirectly in tourism, Tourisme Montréal plays a leading role in the management and development of Montréal's tourism business, and makes recommendations on issues surrounding the city's economic, urban and cultural development. For more information, go to www.mtl.org.

SOURCE Palais des congrès de Montréal