Hundreds of delegates attending the One Young World Summit received a show-stopping giant welcome to Northern Ireland when they arrived at George Best Belfast City Airport.
A spirited combination of music, dance and welcome smiles from volunteers greeted those arriving for the global Summit, as they disembarked from destinations around the world.
They were stopped in their tracks as they touched down in Belfast, with a musical spectacle featuring a Riverdance style line-up of dancers from the Causeway Coast. An award-winning brass band from County Down also provided rip-roaring entertainment, with a quintessentially Northern Ireland playlist and hits from Van Morrison to Snow Patrol.
The Belfast Summit gets underway tomorrow with a stunning opening ceremony at the SSE Arena and continues until Thursday as more than 2,000 future leaders from over 190 countries convene to tackle some of the biggest issues facing the world and accelerate social impact.
One Young World Summit
Our 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 our world-class food and drink offering, with local music, arts and culture provided along the way.
Tourism NI Director of Marketing, Naomi Waite, said the summit is an exciting opportunity for Northern Ireland to showcase to the world what a wonderful place it is.
She said: “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.”
One Young World Managing Director, Ella Robertson McKay said the team have been blown away by the welcome they have received in Northern Ireland.
She said: “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.
For the full agenda of the One Young World summit 2023 visit oneyoungworld.com/summit-2023. Keep up to date with upcoming announcements using #OYW23 and to discover more about Northern Ireland search #EmbraceAGiantSpirit.
