Young people urged to take up a cause at One Young World summit

Thirty years after he founded Band Aid people in poorer countries are still dying because they are poor Bob Geldof told the attendees of the One Young World summit which opened in Dublin yesterday.

Referring to the Ebola Virus which has caused the death of some 4,500 people in Africa, Mr Geldof said they were not dying because of a "filthy little virus" but because "unlike Madrid and Texas, they do not have the doctors, the nurses, the medical care. They are dying because they are poor".

Referring to the pace of climate change he said we were “at a critical moment” when it comes to climate change adding that we are “destroying any possibility of life” not just for this generation but also the next.

Addressing the 1,300 attendees representing 190 countries at the event which takes place in Dublin’s Convention Centre over the next few days Mr Geldof said “we must find a way through the terrible situation we have locked ourselves into and we must navigate an intellectual path...if you don’t do it there’s a problem”.

Earlier Taoiseach Enda Kenny told delegates their generation could make a major difference while also touching on the issues which have faced Ireland in recent years and its more recent economic recovery.

“This recovery is the people’s recovery, it’s their sacrifice, often cruel sacrifice” he said.

“We have a responsibility as leaders as a Government from day one we were absolutely clear that overseeing the recovery of this country was not only a political challenge, for us, above all Ireland’s recovery was and is a democratic privilege and a national obligation”.

Meanwhile former president Mary Robinson underlined the importance of sustainable development to combat climate change, an area which she said required "transformative leadership".

She said that, remaining on our current course in relation to climate change would be “catastrophic” adding that “we are in a very precarious situation in our world because we have not been good stewards”.

“We need to think about how we can have a vision of a world that is safer, cleaner, healthier and fairer...it’s a world of zero carbon emissions,” she said.

The three-day event, which co-founder David Jones yesterday described as "a platform to give brilliant young people a catalyst to drive change in the world" will see the attendees, who are aged between 18 and 30, present on and discuss a broad range of topics on major issues facing the world.

Presentations and discussions planned include ways to end food waste, human rights, climate justice and peace and conflict.

They will present to and hear from "counsellors" including Kofi Annan who served as the seventh secretary general of the United Nations, politicians, numerous business leaders and leading lights from the sporting world including former English footballer Sol Campbell and tennis star Boris Becker.