Statement of the 9th Global Meeting of Young Parliamentarians

Platform for promoting peace and sustainable development

On the afternoon of September 16, the 9th Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians concluded, issuing the Conference Statement on “The role of youth in promoting the implementation of sustainable development goals through digital transformation and innovation”. This is the first Statement of the Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians through 9 sessions, demonstrating the determination, high consensus and strong commitment of young IPU parliamentarians.

Mr. Dan Carden - Chairman of the Young Parliamentarians Forum and Ms. Ha Anh Phuong - National Assembly Delegate of Vietnam presented the Conference's statement.

“We, with more than 200 young parliamentarians, are present at the 9th Global Meeting of Young Parliamentarians from 14-17 September 2023 in Hanoi, Vietnam to affirm our commitment to promoting the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) organized since 2023, especially through digital transformation and innovation. Our average age is 37.8 years old and about 37% of us are female parliamentarians,” the Conference’s Statement stated.

Dialogue - Statement of the 9th Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians — Mr. Dan Carden - Chairman of the Young Parliamentarians Forum and Ms. Ha Anh Phuong - National Assembly Delegate of Vietnam presented the Conference's statement.

As key innovators, technology users and technology enablers, young people are in a key position to put digital transformation and innovation at the heart of action to accelerate progress on the SDGs and make them more accessible to all and leave no one behind.

It can be seen that young people today have been taking on many important positions in the private sector such as CEOs of technology companies and innovative startups, or investors in the field of digital transformation. And in the political field, the position of young people also needs to be developed similarly.

"We, young parliamentarians, know how to solve complex problems in the digital landscape and we understand best the pulse of the youth and future generations of our country. Our role is to bring their will and aspirations to the parliament," the statement said.

Young people are familiar with new technologies, they fully possess the values to promote new solutions for the benefit of all humanity, through startups, developing new technologies and exploiting Artificial Intelligence (AI).

The Covid-19 pandemic has demonstrated the strategic importance of digital tools in our parliaments. These tools can contribute to more inclusive and transparent legislation, oversight, decision-making on important issues and increased public participation.

Science and technology are fundamental to promoting peace and sustainable development, and also provide solutions to today's complex challenges. Science enables informed and evidence-based policy-making, whether on environmental protection, development or conflict resolution.

Science can be the basis for the search for knowledge and solutions for common purposes, creating a neutral ground for cooperation and motivating peaceful coexistence.

“We, as young parliamentarians, can play a vital role in developing a generation of tech-savvy and problem-solving youth to promote peace and sustainable development…”, the statement said.

Propose specific actions

To help promote the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through digital transformation and innovation, young parliamentarians discussed and proposed specific actions:

In the field of digital transformation , call on and recommend member parliaments to update parliamentary regulations and working methods so that parliamentarians can participate and apply online, digitally transform more, take advantage of interactive platforms to support direct dialogue between voters and parliamentarians, promote the participation of groups, especially young people, in parliamentary activities;

Consider exploring the establishment or strengthening of forward-looking parliamentary committees, such as the Futures Commission and other mechanisms appropriate to each country’s specific circumstances, to help parliaments anticipate and respond to long-term trends or potential threats, and ensure that young people participate in such bodies;

Ensure that all parliamentarians are equipped with the necessary knowledge and technical support to fully participate in online legislative procedures; increase the application of virtual assistant platforms to support parliamentarians; use AI tools to improve the quality of legislation; and build a digital library for national legal documents;

Enact laws and policies to bridge the digital divide and ensure access for all, including low-cost access, building digital infrastructure and improving professional skills;

Dialogue - Declaration of the 9th Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians (Figure 2). — Delegates attending the 9th Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians.

Develop appropriate legal frameworks and enhance international cooperation in protecting the digital sovereignty of countries to create a safe, healthy and sustainable cyber environment; Issue appropriate policies and procedures to prevent and respond to forms of online harassment and violence against parliamentarians, including violence against women parliamentarians;

In the field of innovation and entrepreneurship, the conference called on and recommended that member parliaments strengthen the innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem, through building a legal framework and increasing budgets for this field.

Promote the development of educational programs that focus on the skills needed to prepare the next generation – a generation of young innovators and entrepreneurs who prioritize digital skills;

Encourage start-up and innovation activities focusing on youth, students, and women, strengthen gender mainstreaming in association with SDGs; develop a separate program for digital innovation and digital start-up;

In the cultural field, member parliaments develop a common parliamentary approach to establish a framework of principles and values in decision-making, research and development in science and technology, such as the IPU Code of Conduct on the Ethics of Science and Technology, to ensure that the development and application of science and technology are carried out responsibly, ethically and sustainably;

Contribute strongly to efforts to prevent online violence against women and girls, through promoting gender equality, controlling hate speech and regulating AI so that women and girls are protected and new technologies are gender-biased;

Strengthen data protection framework laws and other legal instruments, especially on personal data, cyber threats and promote open source and transparent algorithms;

The statement also expressed gratitude to the Vietnamese National Assembly for hosting the Global Young Parliamentarians' Meeting in a thoughtful, professional and successful manner and supporting the participation of young parliamentarians and young people as well as promoting the implementation of the SDGs, through the IPU and international and regional inter-parliamentary mechanisms.

“At the same time, we will stand together to keep the promise in the 2015 Hanoi Declaration and respond to the urgent call of the 2030 Agenda,” the statement said .

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