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PERSPECTIVES

Citi Delegates Participate in the 2016 One Young World Summit

November 01, 2016
Charif Mekdache, Associate, Derivative Sales
William Harper, Senior Associate, Corporate Banking

In September, 26 Citi colleagues from around the world joined 1,300 delegates from more than 190 countries at the One Young World (OYW) Summit in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Prior to the summit, the Citi delegation met in Toronto with Citi Canada's leadership team and local business and community leaders, including Toronto Mayor John Tory. We also met with and heard inpsiring stories of number from young men and women who had benefitted from Citi Foundation grant partner Rise Asset Development (which invests in entrepreneurs with a history of mental health or addiction challenges).

The 2016 OYW summit focused on a wide range of urgent global issues including education and human rights, and sparked numerous conversations on how today's youth can best effect meaningful societal change. Throughout our three days in Ottawa, delegates discussed and debated the importance of tomorrow's change being led by today's youth. And we had the pleasure of hearing from a number of young leaders from around the world about the different ways they had been able to impact their respective communities. We were also fortunate to hear from numerous world leaders, including Nobel Peace Prize winners former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and Professor Muhammad Yunis, on issues including women's rights, global climate change and the refugee crisis.

The OYW summit proved to be an amazing and inspiring experience for all of us, with the biggest takeaway being a call to action. It doesn't matter if you can only afford to dedicate a small amount of time and effort towards a good cause. What matters most is getting involved. Citi, through its great work with the Citi Foundation and local charities around the world, provide an effective platform for all of us to work towards driving positive change and we returned from Toronto further inspired to take full advantage of those opportunities. Whether it's through our day jobs helping our clients with their financial needs, or through involvement with social, economic, and environmental programs, we now feel more determined than ever to individually and collectively exert a positive and lasting impact on the world.

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