Creating conditions for young people to contribute to peace and prosperity

On the morning of September 15, at the National Convention Center (My Dinh, Hanoi), the Vietnamese National Assembly, in coordination with the Inter- Parliamentary Union (IPU), solemnly held the Opening Ceremony of the 9th Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians with the theme: "The Role of Youth in Promoting the Implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals, through Digital Transformation and Innovation".

Promoting the role of young parliamentarians

National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue delivered the opening speech. President Vo Van Thuong sent a message to the conference.

Following the opening session, IPU leaders and representatives of international organizations and relevant agencies of Vietnam delivered speeches.

President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Duarte Pacheco expressed his honor to be present at the 9th Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians; he believed that the conference would be as successful as the previous IPU-132 General Assembly.

Emphasizing the role of youth in the development of each country, IPU President Duarte Pacheco said that the Conference contributes to uniting young parliamentarians and strengthening their influence by learning from each other and exchanging development strategies for the coming time...

Sharing about the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the common agenda to address the challenges facing the world, the IPU President said that the 9th Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians will contribute to promoting the role of young parliamentarians in parliamentary activities; hoping that young parliamentarians will have substantive and effective exchanges to improve and change the common problems the world is facing, towards a better future.

Chairman of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Young Parliamentarians Forum, UK MP Dan Carden speaks at the opening session. Photo: VNA

At the opening ceremony, Chairman of the IPU Young Parliamentarians Forum Dan Carden, MP, UK shared the losses in the earthquake in Morocco and floods in Libya; 56 people died in the recent mini apartment fire in Thanh Xuan, Hanoi .

Chairman of the IPU Young Parliamentarians Forum Dan Carden stressed that the younger generation is growing stronger and feels the urgency to solve common problems. It is time for the youth to overcome their differences and think about medium- and long-term socio-economic solutions; and have a roadmap to solve the problems they are facing.

Highlighting the powerful role of youth in global financial restructuring, Congressman Dan Carden said that the IPU is now breaking down barriers to enable youth to participate more actively in politics. The presence of dynamic and enthusiastic youth in national parliaments is extremely important to address the challenges facing our countries.

Digital Transformation has opened up a new world with new challenges but also gives us “oxygen”, new opportunities to overcome challenges. Technology can become a useful tool to find suitable solutions for common efforts, collective efforts to respond to the challenges we are facing.

Advancing SDGs through digital transformation and innovation

Speaking at the Opening Session, IPU Secretary General Martin Chungong highly appreciated Vietnam for making significant progress in many fields, including digital technology, with a strong commitment to combining two aspects: technology and youth empowerment.

At the 132nd IPU General Assembly (held in 2015 in Vietnam), the IPU implemented the SDGs, a special milestone and demonstrated a common commitment to addressing the world's most pressing issues with the adoption of the Hanoi Declaration: "Sustainable Development Goals: Turning Words into Action".

Emphasizing the responsibility to turn words into actions, the IPU Secretary General welcomed Vietnam for integrating commitments into concrete actions, and legislative bodies for enacting appropriate laws and reforms directly related to the SDGs.

At the international level, the IPU has facilitated cross-border cooperation, helping stakeholders share good practices and forge new partnerships; and provided platforms and technical tools to support parliaments.

In recent years, the IPU has been actively promoting the power of technology in advancing the SDGs; focusing on Innovation and Digital Transformation. Through its initiatives, the IPU is strengthening the ways in which parliaments can take full advantage of the digital age.

Stating that procedures need to be revised to increase the participation of parliamentarians, IPU Secretary General Martin Chungong stressed that young parliamentarians play an important role as a driving force for progress and development, contributing innovative perspectives and solutions to parliamentary processes; at the same time, sharing practices and raising the voices of young parliamentarians on issues of concern.

Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Secretary General Martin Chungong speaks at the opening session. Photo: VNA

According to Mr. Martin Chungong, this conference also contributes to affirming the contribution of young women, not only in parliament but also in the broader global mission to promote the SDGs through digital transformation and innovation. As young parliamentarians, they need to be pioneers in promoting further gender equality and the IPU is committed to this goal.

Briefing about the establishment and development process of the Young National Assembly Delegates Group of the Vietnamese National Assembly, Chairman of the Group Nguyen Anh Tuan said that the presence of young Vietnamese National Assembly deputies has actively contributed to the process of innovating the activities of the National Assembly, becoming a bridge to bring the voice of young people to the National Assembly in the process of legislation, supreme supervision and decision on important issues of the country.

Chairman of the Vietnam National Assembly Young Delegates Group Nguyen Anh Tuan speaks at the opening session. Photo: VNA

Along with that, young National Assembly deputies have actively participated in parliamentary diplomacy activities and multilateral and bilateral forums.

The conference is a good opportunity for young Vietnamese National Assembly deputies to learn from experiences, share concerns and expand cooperation with young parliamentarians in the IPU community.

The theme of the conference continued the content of previous conferences, meeting three important goals: Addressing global issues that all countries need to work together to solve; meeting the intrinsic needs of young people; and being consistent with Vietnam's development orientation in the coming period.

These goals, although independent, are closely related to each other, creating space and conditions to maximize the capacity and creativity of young people, contributing to the development of each country as well as peace and prosperity on a global scale.

Delegates attend the opening session of the conference. Photo: VNA

Emphasizing the mission of the young generation, Mr. Nguyen Anh Tuan said that it is necessary to promote the green growth model, circular economy, reasonable consumption, along with the driving force from Digital Transformation, Innovation and creating added values from their own cultural identity. This is also the strength that young people need to maximize to both contribute to changing the growth model and creating a prosperous life for future generations.

In Vietnam, the National Assembly is promoting the completion of the legal framework and institutional foundation for the Digital Transformation, Innovation and Startup process; preserving and promoting the country's cultural values in the context of deep international integration.

Young National Assembly deputies are aware of their responsibilities and are committed to actively and effectively participating in the process of building and perfecting institutions and legal frameworks; effectively participating in supervising policy implementation and conveying the Conference's message to young voters, helping them equip themselves with the necessary mindset, knowledge and skills to be ready to shoulder this important mission, strive to become global digital citizens and spread Vietnamese values and cultural identity to the international arena.

Mr. Nguyen Anh Tuan hopes that the Hanoi Joint Statement adopted this time will be a driving force contributing to the effective implementation of the goals of Digital Transformation, Innovation, Entrepreneurship, promoting respect for cultural diversity for sustainable development; at the same time, promoting youth empowerment, expanding youth participation in democratic processes and participating in solving current global issues.

Harnessing the power of digital technology

Delivering the opening speech, Ms. Trinh Thi Tu Anh, a delegate of the Vietnamese National Assembly, said that the theme of this conference reflects the development trends and concerns of countries today when sustainable development, science - technology, innovation and high-quality human resources become one of the top important factors determining the speed and quality of development of economies, especially in the context that the world is facing many difficulties and challenges.

This is a valuable opportunity for young delegates and parliamentarians to meet, exchange, share and learn from each other; an opportunity to reach a common voice, to seek and build the most optimal solutions to achieve the goal of a world of sustainable development, peace, prosperity, happiness, betterment, inclusiveness and leaving no one behind.

Summarizing the results of Vietnam's SDGs implementation, Ms. Trinh Thi Tu Anh said that the outstanding achievements are the result of the strong efforts and determination of the entire political system with the contributions, active participation and consensus of the whole society in the process of implementing the Sustainable Development Goals, promoting Digital Transformation and Innovation.

In which, the Vietnamese National Assembly is the agency that plays a central role, demonstrated in four prominent aspects.

Specifically, the legislative role of the Vietnamese National Assembly has been strengthened and promoted towards perfecting the legal system and policy mechanisms to ensure a complete legal framework for the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals and improve the effectiveness of state management of national sustainable development, while at the same time, creating all necessary conditions to support the acceleration of the Digital Transformation process and promote the National Innovation Network.

In addition, the National Assembly ensures the effective use of public resources through the allocation of medium-term and annual budgets, with a special focus on vulnerable groups in society.

The National Assembly conducts annual thematic oversight activities on the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals in ministries, sectors and localities, enhances people's representation, conveys people's voices in monitoring state activities and creates further conditions for people and communities to participate in the law and policy making process.

Along with that, the Vietnamese National Assembly is constantly innovating its organization and operations with the goal of building an increasingly professional and effective National Assembly in all areas of operation, meeting the requirements and demands of the country's development in the coming period.

Ms. Trinh Thi Tu Anh hopes that young parliamentarians will join hands and actively contribute to the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals through Digital Transformation and Innovation on a global scale.

Sending a video message, International Telecommunication Union Deputy Secretary General Tomas Lamanauskas said that in the current context, it is extremely important to take advantage of the power of digital technology. Risk management and digital technology have changed the lives of billions of people around the world for the better; at the same time, they have great potential in addressing the consequences of the climate change crisis, increasing efficiency in transportation...

According to Mr. Tomas Lamanauskas, the rapid development of emerging technologies has affected many areas of life, so catching up with the digital gap is more urgent than ever. Therefore, to be able to be impacted and benefit from new technology, parliamentarians first need to connect as politicians and belong to the Digital Transformation generation.

The Deputy Secretary General of the International Telecommunication Union called on the Conference to focus on promoting connectivity; towards sustainable digital infrastructure, ensuring secure access, low-cost devices and low data rates; and encouraged delegates to support sustainable investment, using digital skills and entrepreneurship to generate innovative ideas and solutions from young parliamentarians; thereby expanding the scope worldwide.

After the Opening Session, delegates attended the Thematic Discussion Session 1 on Digital Transformation.

According to VNA/Vietnam+

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