Speech by National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue at the Closing Ceremony of the 9th Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians

SPEECH OF NATIONAL ASSEMBLY CHAIRMAN VUONG DINH HUE AT THE CLOSING CEREMONY OF THE 9TH GLOBAL YOUNG PARLIAMENTARIANS' CONFERENCE

(14:00, September 16, 2023 at the National Convention Center)

Duration: 10 minutes

Dear leaders of the Party, State and Vietnam Fatherland Front,

Mr. Duarte Pacheco, President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union,

Dear Mr. Martin Chungong, Secretary General of the Inter-Parliamentary Union,

Mr. Dan Carden, President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union Forum of Young Parliamentarians,

Dear delegates, distinguished guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,

After two days of enthusiastic, urgent, friendly, united work and with a high sense of responsibility, the 9th Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians completed the entire official agenda and was a great success.

The Conference adopted the Declaration on “ The role of youth in promoting the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals through digital transformation and innovation ”. This is the first Declaration of the Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians through 9 sessions. That demonstrates the determination, high consensus and strong commitment of young IPU parliamentarians in promoting the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals on a global scale. Along with thematic discussions on: Digital transformation; Start-ups and innovation; Promoting respect for cultural diversity for sustainable development, activities organized by the host country Vietnam such as the Seminar on “Enhancing digital capacity for youth”, Exhibition on “Innovation achievements and OCOP products”, cultural exchange program; visit to Quang Ninh province and visit the world natural heritage Ha Long Bay have contributed to making a very vibrant, rich and successful Conference.

The opening, closing and thematic discussions were attended by a large number of senior leaders of Vietnam and the IPU, Ambassadors, representatives of diplomatic agencies, international organizations and hundreds of young parliamentarians from IPU member parliaments across the continents. The discussions recorded hundreds of comments, exchanges, experience sharing, and valuable recommendations on the Conference's theme. Through the discussions, we have reached common perceptions and promoted international cooperation, multilateralism, the basic principles of the United Nations and international law in accelerating the implementation of the SDGs; and emphasized the particularly important role of parliaments in implementing the SDGs, especially in perfecting the legal framework to facilitate the implementation of the SDGs in the context of the current difficulties in implementing the goals. The conference also emphasized the “pioneering role” of young parliamentarians in bringing the voice of youth to the parliament as well as applying innovation and creativity to the implementation of the SDGs; affirming that the participation of young people will contribute to accelerating and finding new directions for the realization of the SDGs. In order to make an actionable commitment and ensure continued implementation, the conference also proposed promoting a global network of young parliamentarians on digital transformation and innovation, within the framework of the Forum of Young Parliamentarians, in close coordination with the IPU’s Centre for Parliamentary Innovation, to discuss the content of innovation and new technology trends and support each other and share experiences on innovation and creativity; mainstreaming innovation and digital transformation into the agenda or discussions of the IPU in the future.

Ladies and gentlemen,

The success of the 9th Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians shows that the IPU Young Parliamentarians Forum is a very necessary and useful forum for young parliamentarians and continues to affirm the importance of young parliamentarians in particular and young people in general as future owners of each country, nation and the whole world in participating in implementing the goals and tasks of the IPU and the United Nations.

I respectfully request the IPU Secretariat and IPU member parliaments to disseminate the results of this Conference to the United Nations Summit on the Sustainable Development Goals to be held soon (September 18-19, 2023) in New York, thereby honoring the role, affirming the commitment and actions of the IPU and young parliamentarians in particular in the common global effort to accelerate the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals; I also request the IPU and call on member parliaments to actively implement the Conference Declaration; at the same time, establish appropriate mechanisms for cooperation and mutual support, especially between developed and developing countries in digital transformation and innovation.

On behalf of the host country of the Conference, I would like to express my sincere thanks and appreciation for the support and effective cooperation of the entire team of experts and officials of the IPU, member parliaments, National Assembly agencies and relevant sectors of Vietnam; thank the Hanoi City government and localities, relevant agencies and organizations, international and Vietnamese news agencies and press for their dedication and efforts, making an important contribution to the success of the Conference.

Dear Delegates,

In every stage of development of nations, the National Assembly and parliamentarians, with their noble legislative, supervisory and enforcement roles, have always been the vanguard in efforts to reform laws, institutions and international integration, and are the bridge between political will and people's aspirations, between domestic law and international law, between people of nations and ethnicities, contributing to peace, friendship, cooperation and sustainable development at the regional and global levels.

Vietnam's consistent policy is to promote a foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, diversification, multilateralization, peace, friendship, cooperation and development, based on the fundamental principles of the United Nations Charter and international law. Vietnam attaches great importance to and actively and responsibly participates in multilateral institutions of which Vietnam is a member. In that spirit, the National Assembly of Vietnam will continue to actively cooperate with the IPU and member parliaments to join hands to realize the goals and resolutions of the IPU in general and of the Conference of Young Parliamentarians in particular, to continuously promote the noble missions and elevate the level of parliamentary diplomacy. The National Assembly of Vietnam affirms that it will continue to actively contribute to the common activities of the IPU and is ready to host more conferences and other mechanisms within the framework of the IPU's activities.

Once again, I would like to thank all of you for your cooperation and support so that the Vietnamese National Assembly can fulfill its responsibility as the host country of the Conference. On behalf of the National Assembly and the Vietnamese people, I would like to thank the parliaments, the parliamentarians of other countries, and the delegates for their friendship towards the country and people of Vietnam, with increasingly effective cooperation and good feelings.

I hereby declare the 9th Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians closed.

I wish you health, happiness and success in your noble position.

Thank you very much./.