General

Young parliamentarians help realise sustainable development goals

The National Assembly (NA) of Vietnam will host the 9th Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians from September 14-18 in Hanoi under the theme “The Role of Young People in Promoting the Realisation of Sustainable Development Goals via Digital Transformation and Innovations”

Through the event, the NA will continue to work with the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) to promote the goal of empowering youth and expanding youth participation in solving current global problems.

At the 122nd IPU Assembly in Bangkok, Thailand in 2010, IPU member parliaments passed a resolution on youth participation in the democratic process, affirming that to achieve democracy, it is necessary to have full and active participation of youth and youth organisations in democratic processes at local, national, regional and international levels.

In 2013, the IPU established the Forum of Young Parliamentarians, an official and standing mechanism within the IPU to contribute to improving the youth participation in parliaments and within the IPU in both quality and quantity.

In 2014, the IPU established an annual global conference to strengthen the role of young parliamentarians and youth participation in parliamentary activities and to make recommendations from a youth perspective on the IPU’s activities and agenda. The conference also helps develop networks, promote solidarity, improve capacity, and expand young people’s approaches to issues of common concern.

According to the IPU, the presence of young people in parliaments is still low. Half of the world’s population is under 30 years old, while only 2.6% of parliamentarians globally at this age group. About 37% of parliaments have no parliamentarians under 30. Therefore, the IPU has been promoting the goal of empowering youth and expanding youth participation in solving current global issues.

For the first time, the Vietnamese National Assembly will host the 9th Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians. It is also the largest multilateral diplomatic event hosted by Vietnam in 2023. It demonstrates the attention that the Party, State, and National Assembly of Vietnam pay to their youth, contributing to strengthening the cooperation between Vietnam and its partners; and promoting the image of the country and its people, especially dynamic and creative youngsters.

Hosting the conference affirms the active, responsible, and proactive participation of the Vietnamese National Assembly in the IPU.

The Vietnamese National Assembly has actively participated in IPU activities, including the Global Conferences of Young Parliamentarians.

As of August 28, 64 delegations had registered for the event, with a total of 244 attendees, including 172 legislators and 72 assistants./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency