On July 9, One Young World (OYW) Japan held a send-off party for Japanese delegates who will be attending the OYW 2021 Summit in Munich from July 22 to July 25. This year, the summit will be held in a hybrid format and even though Okayama University student representatives TSUYAMA Khaya (4th year, Global Discovery Program) and DEGUCHI Anna (3rd year, Faculty of Letters) will be attending online, the event gave them the opportunity to interact with other Japanese delegates and OYW representatives. OYW Japan Committee Director, UNESCO Chair holder, and Senior Vice President for Global Engagement Strategy YOKOI Atsufumi attended the event as an observer.
　
To kick off the event, OYW Japan Committee Chairman OKUBO Kimihito gave an encouraging opening speech, stating, “Globally, we are experiencing many difficulties due to the coronavirus pandemic. However, this uncertain situation can also be seen as an opportunity for change. Therefore, I hope that the passionate young leaders present here today will build networks, share their goals and visions, and move towards a brighter future.” Afterwards, actress, model, singer, and OYW Japan Special Ambassador SUMIRE gave a short speech, followed by congratulatory addresses by Deputy Chief of Mission at the German Embassy Dr. Klaus VIETZE and BMW Japan CEO Christian WIEDMANN. Then, there was a brief introduction of the presentation that will be given at the OYW Munich Summit outlining the various activities of the Japanese delegation. Finally, Chief Representative of the State of Bavaria Office in Japan Dr. Christian GELTINGER introduced Munich and the venue where the summit will take place. After the speeches, which served to build enthusiasm for the OWY 2021 Summit, participants had the opportunity to get to know one another.

At the OYW 2021 Summit, Mr. TSUYAMA and Ms. DEGUCHI will participate in discussions, workshops, and networking events online with participants from around the world. They will discuss a wide range of topics under the framework of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, including peace, the environment, gender, education, human rights, leadership, global business, etc.
This year is the 11th iteration of the summit and Okayama University has been sending delegates every year since the 2015 Bangkok Summit. The 2022 summit is set to be held in Tokyo.