General Secretary of the National Assembly and Chairman of the National Assembly Office Bui Van Cuong addresses a press conference in Hanoi on September 12 to introduce the 9th Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians. (Photo: VNA) The official said that this is the most importantmultilateral parliamentary event of the NA in 2023. Particularly, it will mark the eighthanniversary of the Hanoi Declaration on Sustainable Development Goals that was adoptedby the 132nd IPU Assembly held in Vietnam. He added that the event will take placeon the thresholds of the SGD Summit slated for New York from September 18-19.
According to Cuong, for Vietnam, the hosting of the event continues to affirm the active,proactive and responsible engagement of Vietnam in the IPU as well as thecountry’s position in the union, the largest multilateral parliamentaryorganisation in the world and one of the oldest multilateral organisations onthe globe.
It also demonstrates the Party and State’s great attention to theyouth and efforts to provide them with best conditions to promote their roleand responsibility in national development and settlement of global challenges.
Cuong said that Vietnam will benefit from the event bylearning experience to increase the participation of the youth in political andsocio-economic activities in the context of digital transformation, innovationand sustainable development trend.
It is also a good chance for Vietnam to spread a message onthe country’s external policy to international friends, strengthen partnershipwith important partners, and introduce the culture, nation and people ofVietnam.
Regarding preparations for the conference, the NA Office Chairmansaid that the organisation of the event received great attention from NA ChairmanVuong Dinh Hue who has directly worked with relevant ministries and sectors onthe building of the conference’s agenda.
As of September 12, 75 parliamentary delegations with morethan 310 members had registered for the conference, including 69 delegations fromIPU member parliaments and six from inter-parliamentary organisations/internationalorganisations/observers. The number of registered delegations is much higher than previous conferences.
Commenting on the theme of the conference, which is “TheRole of Young People in Promoting the Realisation of Sustainable DevelopmentGoals via Digital Transformation and Innovations,” the official said that it isnot only topical but also suitable to the current trends and the developmentorientation of countries around the globe.
He held that member parliaments and governments of allcountries are clearly aware and affirm that digital transformation and innovationare inevitable trends, which are also Vietnam's top priorities today.
Cuong said the SGD implementation has beenslow, with only 12% of the goals going on good track, requiring all countriesto work harder and create breakthroughs to achieve the goals by 2030 as set bythe UN, with stronger application of digital technologies and innovation toseek new approaches and solutions for the work, while promoting respect for cultural diversity and enhancing the role of culture in the context of technologicaltransformation and globalisation in association with sustainable growth.
Through the conference, Vietnam hopes that young IPUparliamentarians, as politicians with closest links to young people who are knowledgeableabout science and new technology as future leaders, will join handsin speeding up the SDGs through digital transformation and innovation, said theofficial.
He said that a declaration on the role of the youth in realisationof sustainable development goals via digital transformation and innovations is expected to be adopted at the closing session of the conference, which will be thefirst ever by the conference, showing the determination of youngparliamentarians around the world to join hands in implementing the UN SDGs.This is very important in the current context when the 2030 Agenda forSustainable Development has passed the halfway mark, its implementation is stillfacing many difficulties and challenges, stated Cuong.
It also underlines the respect for cultural diversity duringthe digital transformation and innovation process.
“We are ready to become companions with the mission of harnessing the power oftechnology and innovation to serve SDGs in aresponsible way that leaves no one behind, especially the future generations.We will work closely together to deliver on the promise of the 2015 Hanoi Declaration andrespond to the urgent call of the 2030 Agenda,” Cuong emphasised.
The Conference of Young Parliamentarians was set up by the IPU in 2013, becoming an official and permanent mechanism of the union to increase the number and quality of young parliamentarians’ engagement in parliaments and the IPU.
Since 2014, the Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians has been held annually, aiming to collect young parliamentarians’ ideas and recommendations on the IPU operations and agenda, while building a network, fostering solidarity and enhance the capacity and approach of the youth to issues of shared concern.
So far, eight editions of the conference have been held with different topics. This year, the event will be hosted by Hanoi with the theme “The Role of Young People in Promoting the Realisation of Sustainable Development Goals via Digital Transformation and Innovations”./.
VNA
