The opening ceremony was co-chaired by Chairman of the Vietnamese National Assembly (NA) Vuong Dinh Hue; President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Duarte Pacheco; Standing Vice Chairman of the NA Tran Thanh Man; IPU Secretary General Martin Chungong; President of the IPU Forum of Young Parliamentarians Dan Carden, member of the UK Parliament; Chairman of the Young NA Deputies’ Group of Vietnam Nguyen Anh Tuan; Namibian Parliamentarian and member of the leadership of the IPU Forum of Young Parliamentarians Emma Tangi Muteka; and a representative of the IPU Secretariat.

It was attended by more than 300 young parliamentarians and delegates from over 70 IPU member parliaments, representatives of international organisations, 124 members of the Young NA Deputies’ Group of Vietnam, 20 outstanding young people of Vietnam, and 20 young deputies of provincial-level People’s Councils, along with representatives of the friendship associations between Vietnam and other countries, embassies, consulates, and foreign representative diplomatic agencies in Vietnam.

In his opening remarks, Hue said that it is Vietnam’s honour to be chosen as the host of the conference. Following the success of the 132nd IPU Assembly in 2015, the 26th Annual Meeting of the Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum (APPF) in 2018, and the 41st General Assembly of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) in 2020, the hosting of this conference continues to demonstrate Vietnam’s active, proactive, and responsible participation in the IPU – the world’s biggest inter-parliamentary body, and shows the country’s attention to youth and global issues facing young people at present. 

He asked participants to focus their attention to several issues, including what should be done and how to promote the compliance with and upholding of international law and the United Nations Charter, which is the key condition for maintaining and consolidating peace, cooperation, and sustainable development.

The second needing consideration is the role of developed countries, international organisations, the business community, and young people in solving global issues like sustainable and safe digital transformation, just energy transition, climate change adaptation, and entrepreneurship and innovation promotion.

The third issue is what should be done during law making and enforcement, and action organisation to ensure people and businesses are truly the centre of all development decisions, and also the goal, the impetus, and the fundamental resource of all.

The top legislator of Vietnam also called on participants to look into ways for bringing into play the cultural and human values during sustainable development, promoting the respect for cultural diversity amid the Fourth Industrial Revolution, tightening cooperation in reforming the methodologies for operating economies, increasing labour productivity, creating new impulses for economic growth, and helping boost the transparency and efficiency of state agencies in order to narrow the development gap, safeguard national sovereignty, and protect privacy in cyberspace.

In addition, he also suggested the IPU consider establishing a global network of young parliamentarians for innovation to share countries’ experience.

In his message sent to the conference, Vietnamese State President Vo Van Thuong spoke highly of the conference’s theme as reflecting the shared concern about how to capitalise on the breakthrough achievements generated by science, technology and innovation, enhance international cooperation and connectivity to further accelerate the realisation of the Sustainable Development Goals, and foster young people’s engagement in the settlement of global issues so as to contribute to peace and prosperity of all countries in the world.

The State leader expressed his belief that the Vietnamese NA will keep cooperating with other countries’ parliaments to translate recommendations and resolutions of the IPU and the Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians into concrete actions, thereby practically and effectively contributing to peace, stability, and sustainable development in the region and the world.

In his speech, IPU Secretary General Chungong applauded Vietnam’s substantial strides in multiple fields, including digital technology with a strong commitment to combining technology with youth empowerment.

He emphasised that young parliamentarians have a crucial role to play as they serve as a driving force for progress and development, contribute viewpoints and reform solutions to parliamentary processes, and also share practices and promote their voice on issues of common concern.

The official said the conference also helps affirm young women’s contributions which are necessary for not only parliaments but also the broader global mission of stepping up the realisation of the Sustainable Development Goals via digital transformation and innovations. As young parliamentarians, they should become pioneers in further promoting gender equality.

Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians expected to put forth sustainable development solutions

The ongoing 9th Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians, hosted by the Vietnamese National Assembly, is an opportunity for young legislators to meet and share experiences to promote the implementation of the sustainable development goals, according to delegates to the event.

Reverien Nahayo from Burundi spoke highly of Vietnam's professionalism in organising this international event by arranging everything very scientifically and effectively.

Learning experiences to help Burundi develop stronger is the delegation’s target when participating in this important event, said Reverien Nahayo.

Chrisstina Yuri Costa from Timor-Leste showed her belief to learn from lessons shared by other delegates and share her country’s experiences to international friends.

Many delegates from countries around the world expressed their expectations that the conference will pass important resolutions and documents to achieve set goals in the fields of politics, economy, culture, society and healthcare, and put forward solutions to promote regional growth. One of the contents concerned by many delegates is the discussion and promulgation of a law reform plan to implement the Women, Peace and Security agenda.

Many said they hoped discussion sessions will come up with initiatives to help better define the role of parliaments and young parliamentarians in promoting respect for cultural diversity in the context of digital transformation and globalisation.

The selection of the theme “The Role of Young People in Promoting the Realisation of Sustainable Development Goals via Digital Transformation and Innovations” is linked to both the goal set by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) of accompanying the United Nations to promote the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and Vietnam's current concern to invest in culture to turn it into a driving force and resource for socio-economic development.

The pioneering force in digital transformation is the youth, however, to achieve successful transformation, many challenges still remain, they said.

Therefore, this is a great opportunity and a useful bridge for young parliamentarians to exchange experiences in digital transformation, flexible adaptation solutions after the COVID-19 pandemic and market fluctuations, thereby setting forth strategies to mobilise resources for development investment, production and business, they added.

Young parliamentarians' pioneer role in digital transformation highlighted

Young parliamentarians have an important role to play in pushing digital transformation towards sustainable economic development, heard the first session held in Hanoi on September 15 in the framework of the ongoing 9th Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians.

Speaking at the event, President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union’s Forum of Young Parliamentarian  Dan Carden said young parliamentarians also have an important role in supporting the next generations to capitalise on advanced technologies to address the challenges, and helping legislative organisations make good decisions for global peace and sustainable development.

Half of the world’s population are under 30, but many of them have little say over the decisions that shape the globe’s future, he said, adding it is necessary to complete mechanisms and policies that encourage the youth to raise their voice to handle such global challenges as fake news, social division, and political division.

“We, the young parliamentarians, can influence our country to invest more in education for young people, especially to boost digital skills, science, and other frontiers that will be the future of our workforce,” he said.

Deputy Luu Ba Manh of the Vietnamese National Assembly stressed as digital transformation has change the way that the economy is operated, and each individual and country should make efforts to bolster digital transformation or else they will be left behind.

Digital transformation is significant to parliamentary activities, he said, adding it helps raise the awareness of parliamentarians of advanced technologies’ influence on all aspects of life, including economy, politics and society.

Meanwhile, Senior Programme Officer at YIAGA Africa Yetunde Bakare said that parliaments should funnel investments to improve digital inclusion in their countries, highlighting with digital technologies, young parliamentarians are able to expand their knowledge, and work to engage local people to join the legislative process.

In his pre-recorded speech at the session, member of the Uruguayan parliament Walter Cervini said that AI technology should be applied to improve the efficiency of parliamentary activities.

9th Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians: Press release on opening day issued

The ninth Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians, themed “The Role of Young People in Promoting the Realisation of Sustainable Development Goals via Digital Transformation and Innovations,” convened in Hanoi’s My Dinh National Convention Centre on September 15 morning.

NA Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue attended the ceremony and delivered the opening speech.

The conference is the largest multilateral diplomatic event hosted by Vietnam this year, attracting the participation of more than 300 young parliamentarians and delegates from over 70 member parliaments of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), representatives of international organisations, 124 members of the Young NA Deputies’ Group of Vietnam, 20 outstanding young people of Vietnam, and 20 young deputies of provincial-level People’s Councils, along with representatives of the friendship associations between Vietnam and other countries, embassies, consulates, and foreign representative diplomatic agencies in Vietnam.

In his opening speech, Hue said that it is Vietnam’s honour to be chosen as the host of the conference. Following the success of the 132nd IPU Assembly in 2015, the 26th Annual Meeting of the Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum (APPF) in 2018, and the 41st General Assembly of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) in 2020, the hosting of this conference continues to demonstrate Vietnam’s active, proactive, and responsible participation in the IPU – the world’s biggest inter-parliamentary body, and shows the country’s attention to youth and global issues facing young people at present.

In his remarks, President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Duarte Pacheco recalled the success of the 132nd IPU Assembly in 2015 and noted that at this conference, young lawmakers from around the world will focus on exchanging ideas regarding development strategies for nations, the world, and the people in both the present and future.

Participating delegates also listened to speeches by President of the IPU Forum of Young Parliamentarians and member of the UK Parliament Dan Carden, and Chairman of the Young NA Deputies’ Group of Vietnam Nguyen Anh Tuan.

Subsequently, they heard a keynote speech on the implementation of SDGs and the role of digital transformation and innovation by Vietnamese NA deputy Trinh Thi Tu Anh; and a recorded speech by Tomas Lamanauskas, Deputy Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

After the opening session, members of the Board of the Forum of Young Parliamentarians chaired the first thematic discussion on digital transformation.

In the afternoon of the same day, the second thematic discussion on innovation and startup took place under the chair of Peruvian MP and member of the Board Wilson Soto Palacios.

Source: VNA