The International Young Leaders Summit (IYLS) is an annual  gathering of current and future leaders from government, civil society, and faith-based organizations committed to transcending cultural and religious boundaries and developing an agenda for sustainable peace.

International assemblies in Thailand,  Nigeria, the Philippines, Paraguay, and Kenya have worked to advance the United Nations Millennium Development Goals in areas of education, environmental sustainability, economic growth, and gender equity, as well as to promote effective regional cooperation.

The Summits present fundamental principles of peacebuilding that stress the importance of raising and nurturing strong families, encouraging interfaith understanding, and fostering a culture of peace and service.

Plenary sessions,  keynote lectures by recognized experts, and capacity building sessions are directed toward concrete measures, informed by the shared objective of building One Family Under God.

The 2009 IYLS convened at the United Nations Office in Nairobi and drew broad support from a host of international and local organizations, including Kenya’s Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Kenya’s Vision 2030 Secretariat, and Martin Luther King III’s Realizing the Dream, Inc. Other prominent supporters included Kenya’s National Youth Parliament, Kenya Jaycees, Africa News Break, and the Nation Media Group.

Welcoming the delegates to Nairobi, Mrs. Ida Odinga, wife of Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga,  stressed the importance of values in the education of young people, especially the value of peace education. “We are all children of God,” she said, and “as long as the youth carry the vision of one family under God, the future is bright.”

The 2010 International Young Leaders Summit, convening in Nairobi on November 18-19 on the theme “Young Leaders in the 21^st Century: Prospects & Challenges,” will feature respected world leaders and global entrepreneurs addressing issues of African peacebuilding and development, as well as broader collaborative strategies that support  conflict resolution, water resource development, health care, and other priorities in the developing world.

“We are all children of God, and as long as the youth carry the vision of one family under God, the future is bright.”
—Mrs. Ida Odinga, wife of Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga