One Young World 2025

Introduction

The One Young World Summit (OYW) is a leading global forum uniting 2,000+ young leaders from 190+ countries to drive social impact and sustainable change. In 2025, the Summit will take place in Munich, bringing together youth activists, Nobel Laureates, world leaders, and grassroots changemakers for dialogue, collaboration, and action on today’s most urgent issues. Key themes will include human rights, global crises, sustainability, and the power of youth leadership.

NWI Context

For the second year in a row, Nobel Women’s Initiative will join the One Young World Summit alongside Nobel Peace Prize laureates Maria Ressa and Tawakkol Karman, young activists, and staff to spotlight feminist leadership in times of crisis and elevate women human rights defenders on the global stage. Building on the voices of Sister-to-Sister program alumni, our participation will amplify the experiences of young women leaders from South Sudan, DRC, Yemen, and Myanmar, while also drawing urgent attention to the repression of women and human rights defenders in Iran. By carrying these struggles into a space that convenes global changemakers, our engagement at OYW will center feminist perspectives and demand bold, collective action for justice, equality, and peace.

Key Messages

• Women leaders in conflict-affected regions are not victims, they are essential actors in building peace, justice, and democracy. 

• Feminist leadership is a transformative approach to crisis, rooted in resilience, inclusion, and collective action. 

• Sustainable peace requires centering the voices and leadership of women and youth. 

• The global community must act to free imprisoned laureate Narges Mohammadi and end repression of women human rights defenders in Iran. #FreeNarges 

• The Sister-to-Sister Program demonstrates how investing in young women leaders transforms communities and builds intergenerational feminist leadership. 

NWI Participants

Maria Ressa, Nobel Peace Prize laureate (Philippines)  

Tawakkol Karman, Nobel Peace Prize laureate (Yemen)   

Kathy Terry, Sister-to-Sister Alumni Program Advisor

Bill Omondi, Communications Coordinator, NWI  

Dildar Kaya, Advocacy Coordinator, NWI

Featured Sister-to-Sister Alumni Activists

Catherine Charles Modi Vitaliano (South Sudan) 

Catherine Charles M. Vitaliano is a lawyer and peacebuilding practitioner from South Sudan. She holds a master’s in Global Leadership and Peacebuilding from King’s College London and works as Programme Officer at South Sudan Democratic Engagement Monitoring and Observation Programme (SSuDEMOP) and Research Fellow at the Africa Leadership Centre. Since the 2018 Revitalized Peace Agreement, she has contributed to legislative reviews and constitutional reform. A co-founder of the Citizen Taskforce on COVID-19, she is also part of NWI’s Sister-to-Sister program, focusing on governance, intergenerational leadership, and sustainable development.

Esther Ndihano Atosha (DRC) 

Esther Ndihano Atosha is an award-winning peace advocate from Eastern DRC, recently recognized as the Fastest Rising Peacebuilder of the Year by the East Africa Awards. She leads Women in Monitoring & Auditing Global Elections, DRC (WIMAGE), a nonprofit advancing women’s rights in democracy, and co-founded the DRC Youth, Peace, and Security Coalition. A Mandela Washington Fellow and alumni of NWI’s Sister-to-Sister program, Esther has empowered over 450 women as an entrepreneurial coach and represents young women in global forums, advancing inclusive peace, gender equality, and economic empowerment.

Nandar (Myanmar)

Nandar is a feminist activist, writer, translator, and podcaster from Myanmar. She is the founder and Executive Director of the Purple Feminists Group, advancing gender equality and menstrual justice. Through her podcasts G-Taw Zagar Wyne and Feminist Talks with Nandar, she amplifies women’s voices and creates rare spaces for dialogue on gender justice. She has also translated works by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie into Burmese, making feminist literature more accessible. In 2020, she was named to the BBC 100 Women list for her groundbreaking contributions to feminist activism.

Olla Alsakkaf (Yemen) 

Olla Alsakkaf is a Yemeni researcher and activist from Taiz, working at the intersection of peacebuilding, women’s rights, and climate justice. She is the founder of Peace Environment for Development, a women-led nonprofit advancing environmental awareness and peace in Yemen. Olla has authored policy papers on youth participation, gender equality, and climate resilience in conflict-affected contexts. Currently pursuing a master’s in economics, she represents Yemeni civil society in regional and international forums and advocates for women’s leadership in peace processes.