supermodel Liya Kebede and journalist and visiting scholar at Stanford university, Abebe Gellaw, are named among the Young Global Leaders honorees.

Two Ethiopians, supermodel Liya Kebede and journalist and visiting scholar at Stanford university, Abebe Gellaw, are named among the Young Global Leaders honorees.

In a press release it issued today, the World Economic Forum noted that the honor was bestowed on 197 Young Global Leaders who were selected from a pool of nearly 5000 nominees from around the world for their “professional accomplishments, commitment to society and potential to contribute to shaping the future of the world.”

This year’s list of Young Global Leaders, who are all below the age of 40, include tennis star Roger Federer, Evan Williams, Co-founder and CEO of Twitter, Steven Chen, Co-founder and Chief Technologist of Youtube, Jon Favorue, Obama’s chief speech writer, Wyclef Jean, Singer and Founder of Yélé Haiti Foundation, Nelson Mandela’s grandson and South African Member of Parliament, Mandla Mandela, Saudi Arabian Prince Khalid Bin Bandar Bin Sultan, Crown Princess Mette-Marrit of Norway, sixteen ministers from around the world and many CEOs.

“I am not only thrilled but also humbled to be included in this year’s World Economic Forum list of honorees. I will take advantage of this global opportunity to promote the causes that are closer to the heart of Ethiopians such as the struggle for freedomm, respect for human rights and dignity in Ethiopia,” Abebe said.

“I will start this exciting journey later this month at Harvard Kennedy School of Government, where I will attend a leadership course specially designed for YGL honorees. For the next five years, the opportunity offers me wider perspectives on issues that affect the world and on how decent leadership and governments operate around the world to address the pressing challenges facing humanity,” he noted.
This year’s honorees were selected by a committee chaired by H.M. Queen Rania Al Abdullah of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and comprised of eminent international media leaders including Steve Forbes, CEO of Forbes Media, James Murdoch CEO of News Corporation-UK, Arthur Sulzgerber , Chairman and Publisher of the New York Times, Tom Glocer, CEO of Thomson Reuters and Elizabeth Weymouth, Editor-at-Large and Special Diplomatic Correspondent of Newsweek.
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The following WEF press release

http://www.weforum.org/en/media/Latest%20News%20Releases/PR_YGL2010

World Economic Forum Announces Young Global Leaders 2010

Yann Zopf, Associate Director, Tel.: +41 (0)22 869 1480 – yann.zopf@weforum.org

* Young leaders from 72 countries are honoured for their outstanding leadership, professional accomplishments and commitment to society
* Young Global Leaders are selected from a variety of sectors such as business, government, academia, media, non-profit organizations and arts & culture, and from all regions of the world
* Young Global Leaders engage in task forces that address specific challenges of public interest with the objective of shaping a better future

Geneva, Switzerland, 3 March 2010 – The World Economic Forum has announced its Young Global Leaders (YGLs) for 2010. The honour, bestowed each year by the Forum, recognizes and acknowledges up to 200 outstanding young leaders from around the world for their professional accomplishments, commitment to society and potential to contribute to shaping the future of the world.

For 2010, the Forum has selected 197 Young Global Leaders (PDF, 7 pages, 160 KB) from 72 countries and all stakeholders of society (business, civil society, social entrepreneurs, politics & government, arts & culture, and opinion & media). The new class represents all regions: East Asia (43), South Asia (21), Europe (46), Middle East and North Africa (14), sub-Saharan Africa (17), North America (38) and Latin America (18). This year’s selection has more gender parity than ever, with 38% women.

“The World Economic Forum is a true multistakeholder community of global decision-makers in which the Young Global Leaders represent the voice for the future and the hopes of the next generation. The diversity of the YGL community and its commitment to shaping a better future through action-oriented initiatives of public interest is even more important at a time when the world is in need of new energy to solve intractable challenges,” said Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum.

Drawn from a pool of almost 5,000 candidates, the Young Global Leaders 2010 were chosen by a selection committee (PDF, 1 page, 135 KB), chaired by H.M. Queen Rania Al Abdullah of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, comprised of eminent international media leaders.

The Young Global Leaders 2010 reflect regional and stakeholder diversity. The ones from North America include Elissa Goldberg, Director-General, Stabilization and Reconstruction Task Force, Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (from Canada); Evan Williams, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Twitter (from the US); Kevin M. Warsh, Board Member, Federal Reserve System (from the US); Marissa Mayer, Vice-President, Search Product and User Experience, Google Inc. (from the US); and Margo Drakos, Chief Operating Officer, InstantEncore.com (from the US), among others.

“Changing the way our global food system works, so that everyone can have access to good, clean and fair food, is entirely within our reach. It will take dedication, citizen engagement and collaboration between our world’s top innovators, activists and leaders,” stated Josh Viertel, president, Slow Food USA. “The Forum of Young Global Leaders brings together minds that can make this change possible. I am honoured to be included among them and look forward to the good work we will do together.”

The 2010 honourees will become part of the broader Forum of Young Global Leaders community that currently comprises 660 outstanding individuals. The YGLs convene at an annual summit – this year it will be in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, 2-7 May 2010, the first time in Africa and the largest ever gathering of YGLs – as well as at Forum events and meetings throughout the year. These events enable YGLs to build a strong and diverse community, to engender a better understanding of the global and regional agendas and to engage in initiatives to address specific challenges of public interest (read more about YGL task forces (PDF, 6 pages, 84 KB) or visit www.redesignourworld.com).

“There are many wonderful communities and opportunities to be enjoyed in college and beyond, but the YGL community is truly beyond compare,” said Kristin Rechberger, Vice-President, National Geographic Society, a YGL honoured in 2009. “The YGLs are leaders who don’t have anything to prove, given their deep, impressive variety of accomplishments; yet, there is great knowledge and humility regarding how much more important work there is yet to do – work best accomplished through creative collaboration and strong friendships. It’s a wonderfully welcoming and inclusive community, with opportunities as grand as we want to create. Being a YGL this past year has truly changed my life. We welcome the new class to our community!” Geneva, Switzerland, 3 March 2010 – The World Economic Forum has announced its Young Global Leaders (YGLs) for 2010. The honour, bestowed each year by the Forum, recognizes and acknowledges up to 200 outstanding young leaders from around the world for their professional accomplishments, commitment to society and potential to contribute to shaping the future of the world.

For 2010, the Forum has selected 197 Young Global Leaders (PDF, 7 pages, 160 KB) from 72 countries and all stakeholders of society (business, civil society, social entrepreneurs, politics & government, arts & culture, and opinion & media). The new class represents all regions: East Asia (43), South Asia (21), Europe (46), Middle East and North Africa (14), sub-Saharan Africa (17), North America (38) and Latin America (18). This year’s selection has more gender parity than ever, with 38% women.

“The World Economic Forum is a true multistakeholder community of global decision-makers in which the Young Global Leaders represent the voice for the future and the hopes of the next generation. The diversity of the YGL community and its commitment to shaping a better future through action-oriented initiatives of public interest is even more important at a time when the world is in need of new energy to solve intractable challenges,” said Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum.

Drawn from a pool of almost 5,000 candidates, the Young Global Leaders 2010 were chosen by a selection committee (PDF, 1 page, 135 KB), chaired by H.M. Queen Rania Al Abdullah of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, comprised of eminent international media leaders.

The Young Global Leaders 2010 reflect regional and stakeholder diversity. The ones from North America include Elissa Goldberg, Director-General, Stabilization and Reconstruction Task Force, Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (from Canada); Evan Williams, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Twitter (from the US); Kevin M. Warsh, Board Member, Federal Reserve System (from the US); Marissa Mayer, Vice-President, Search Product and User Experience, Google Inc. (from the US); and Margo Drakos, Chief Operating Officer, InstantEncore.com (from the US), among others.

“Changing the way our global food system works, so that everyone can have access to good, clean and fair food, is entirely within our reach. It will take dedication, citizen engagement and collaboration between our world’s top innovators, activists and leaders,” stated Josh Viertel, president, Slow Food USA. “The Forum of Young Global Leaders brings together minds that can make this change possible. I am honoured to be included among them and look forward to the good work we will do together.”

The 2010 honourees will become part of the broader Forum of Young Global Leaders community that currently comprises 660 outstanding individuals. The YGLs convene at an annual summit – this year it will be in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, 2-7 May 2010, the first time in Africa and the largest ever gathering of YGLs – as well as at Forum events and meetings throughout the year. These events enable YGLs to build a strong and diverse community, to engender a better understanding of the global and regional agendas and to engage in initiatives to address specific challenges of public interest (read more about YGL task forces (PDF, 6 pages, 84 KB) or visit www.redesignourworld.com).

“There are many wonderful communities and opportunities to be enjoyed in college and beyond, but the YGL community is truly beyond compare,” said Kristin Rechberger, Vice-President, National Geographic Society, a YGL honoured in 2009. “The YGLs are leaders who don’t have anything to prove, given their deep, impressive variety of accomplishments; yet, there is great knowledge and humility regarding how much more important work there is yet to do – work best accomplished through creative collaboration and strong friendships. It’s a wonderfully welcoming and inclusive community, with opportunities as grand as we want to create. Being a YGL this past year has truly changed my life. We welcome the new class to our community!”

Notes to editors

* More information about the Forum of Young Global Leaders at http://www.younggloballeaders.org/
* List of YGLs honoured in 2010
* List of the YGL community
* List of the YGL Selection Committee
* List of the YGL task forces or visit http://www.redesignourworld.com
* Visit our YGL YouTube channel at http://www.youtube.com/yglvoices
* Follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/YGLvoices
* Nominate a potential Young Global Leader through our website

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About The Forum of Young Global Leaders
Established in 2004 by Professor Klaus Schwab, The Forum of Young Global Leaders is a unique, multistakeholder community of the world’s most extraordinary young leaders who dedicate a part of their time to jointly address global challenges and who are committed to devote part of their knowledge and energy to collectively work towards a better future. Together the Young Global Leaders work to discover innovative solutions to today’s most pressing problems through various initiatives and workstreams, as well as catalysing the next generation of leaders.
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The World Economic Forum is an independent international organization committed to improving the state of the world by engaging leaders in partnerships to shape global, regional and industry agendas. Incorporated as a foundation in 1971 and based in Geneva, Switzerland, the World Economic Forum is impartial and not-for-profit; it is tied to no political, partisan or national interests. (www.weforum.org )