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| Press conference on the 9th Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians, which will take place from September 14-17. (Photo: Thanh Chau) |
According to Ms. Zaina Hilah, the Vietnamese National Assembly and the Conference Organizing Committee have prepared very carefully and creatively with many ideas on discussion topics as well as side events. Such careful organization has contributed to attracting a large number of young parliamentarians from all over the world, helping the event have good influence and spread.
The press conference on the Conference also attracted a large number of participants. The press conference was chaired by Secretary General of the National Assembly, Head of the National Assembly Office Bui Van Cuong. Also attending were representatives of the IPU Secretariat Zeina Hilal; Member of the National Assembly Standing Committee, Head of the National Assembly Foreign Affairs Committee, Deputy Head of the Conference Organizing Committee Vu Hai Ha; Secretary of the Bac Ninh Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the Group of Young National Assembly Deputies of the 15th National Assembly, Head of the Conference Organizing Committee Nguyen Anh Tuan; Deputy Head of the National Assembly Office, Assistant to the National Assembly Chairman, Head of the Information and Propaganda Subcommittee Pham Thai Ha; Deputy Minister of Information and Communications, Deputy Head of the Information and Propaganda Subcommittee Nguyen Thanh Lam.
Also present were representatives of the Organizing Committee of the Conference of Subcommittees, representatives of the National Assembly Office, the Central Propaganda Department, the Central External Relations Department, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Health, the Central Committee of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union, reporters from nearly 90 domestic news agencies and foreign press agencies in Vietnam.
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| IPU representative said that Vietnam is the perfect host to organize the 9th Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians. (Photo: Thanh Chau) |
Affirming the role of the Vietnamese National Assembly
Here, Mr. Vu Hai Ha briefly informed about the expected program, content of the Conference, purpose and significance of Vietnam hosting the Conference.
Accordingly, the Conference will take place in Hanoi with the theme "The role of youth in promoting the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals through Digital Transformation and Innovation".
In addition to the opening and closing sessions, on September 14, the conference will kick off with a discussion: “Enhancing digital capacity for youth” organized by the Central Committee of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union and the opening of the Exhibition of Innovation Achievements and OCOP Products. From September 15-17, young parliamentarians will participate in the main discussion sessions of the conference with three topics: digital transformation, innovation and startups, promoting respect for cultural diversity for sustainable development.
Accordingly, the first session on "digital transformation" took place on September 15, focusing on the following issues: Perfecting institutions and policies in promoting the digital transformation process to enhance opportunities for sustainable economic development; Sharing experiences of parliaments in legislation, supervision and the role of young parliamentarians to promote the digital transformation process in the context of the fourth industrial revolution (4IR); sharing progress made in digitizing parliamentary activities for sustainable development.
The second session on the topic of "Innovation and startups" took place on September 16, focusing on issues such as: Perfecting institutions and policies in promoting innovation and startups (including youth startups) as a driving force for inclusive and sustainable development, including the food technology sector (foodtech); Sharing experiences of parliaments in legislative work, supervision and the role of young parliamentarians to promote innovation and startups; Exchanging and discussing the development of artificial intelligence contributing to the process of achieving SDGs; Proposing to parliaments on policies and solutions on building and perfecting institutions and policies to minimize risks related to artificial intelligence.
The third session on “Promoting respect for cultural diversity for sustainable development” took place on September 17, focusing on the role of parliaments and young parliamentarians in promoting cultural diversity in the context of technological transformation and globalization. Specifically, ethical digital cooperation and minimizing the unintended impacts of digital transformation on privacy, security and well-being; Promoting the role of culture in development policies at the national, regional and international levels; Commitment to protecting and promoting cultural diversity; creating an environment and ecosystem favorable to culture and cultural diversity; The role of culture and cultural diversity in sustainable development.
Mr. Ha emphasized that the Vietnamese National Assembly hosting the 9th Global Young Parliamentarians' Conference is a practical activity to implement the guidelines of the 13th National Party Congress, Resolution No. 34-NQ/TW of the Politburo on "Some major orientations and policies to implement the foreign policy of the 13th National Party Congress", Directive No. 25-CT/TW of the Secretariat of the 12th Party Central Committee on promoting and enhancing multilateral diplomacy until 2030 and the Vietnam Youth Development Strategy for the 2021-2030 period.
Hosting this Conference contributes to affirming Vietnam's active, responsible and proactive participation in the IPU - the largest inter-parliamentary organization on the planet; at the same time, it shows Vietnam's attention and concern for youth, and the current global issues of youth.
The conference contributes to promoting Vietnam's interests through the parliamentary channel, meeting development requirements and trends in the new period, including digital transformation, innovation, sustainable development, widely promoting and disseminating to international friends about Vietnam's cultural traditions, country, people, foreign policy and achievements in socio-economic development; is an opportunity to strengthen diplomatic relations between Vietnam and many important partners, especially parliamentarians and young leaders of countries; and seek the support of the IPU and member parliaments for the cause of national construction, protection and development.
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| Mr. Bui Van Cuong, Secretary General of the National Assembly, Head of the National Assembly Office spoke at the press conference. (Photo: Thanh Chau) |
Six new and different points
According to Secretary General of the National Assembly and Head of the National Assembly Office Bui Van Cuong, this conference held in Vietnam has 6 new and different points compared to the 8 previous conferences.
Firstly, this is the largest conference ever, with nearly 500 delegates, including more than 300 international delegates. The conference program is rich, diverse, and has many sideline activities.
Second, the process of organizing the Conference demonstrates the Party and State's care for the young generation and the role of young people in participating in national and global development.
Third, compared to previous countries, this Conference attracted the participation of a large number of young people, an opportunity to promote Vietnamese youth and youth to the world.
Fourth, this is an opportunity to convey to international friends about Vietnam's foreign policy; promote the achievements of Vietnam's Doi Moi process; about the cultural traditions, country and people of Vietnam, introduce to young parliamentarians (under 45 years old) - the generation that will also be leaders in countries in the future, so it is an opportunity for parliamentarians to understand more about Vietnam, creating favorable conditions for international relations in the future. The preparation of all stages of content, reception, security and logistics... all have very detailed plans. The organizing committee closely and actively coordinates with the IPU, foreign representative agencies, relevant agencies... to best prepare for the conference.
Fifth , the Conference is expected to adopt the Conference Declaration on the role of youth in achieving the sustainable development goals through innovation. This will be the first Declaration in nine conferences, calling for the commitment of youth in achieving the millennium goals.
Sixth, for the first time, the Conference has a logo with 5 Y letters (Young) representing the young generation in 5 continents, with a red flag and yellow star symbolizing Vietnam.
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| Deputy Head of the IPU Secretariat, Ms. Zaina Hilah shared her impressions about the organization of the Conference in Vietnam. (Photo: Thanh Chau) |
Clear evidence of Vietnam's efforts
As the representative of the IPU Secretariat shared, the role of parliamentarians is reflected in their participation in policy-making tools, the application of digital technology, and innovation to create changes that bring many benefits to adolescents and young people, together with the necessary legal frameworks.
According to her, this is a special international event for young people. The IPU appreciates the role and efforts of Vietnam in organizing this Conference. This is a testament to the efforts of Vietnamese leaders in empowering young people, and also clearly demonstrates Vietnam's leadership role in supporting young people today, demonstrated by the large number of delegates attending this conference. The conference welcomed the participation of more than 300 parliamentarians from around the world, of which 30% are women, along with delegates from 80 different delegations from member agencies, forums, parliaments, inter-parliamentary organizations and youth organizations.
She affirmed that these are not just numbers for example but the number of delegates who are truly interested and want to come to Vietnam to participate in the Forum, showing the efforts of young people in contributing to important issues such as digital transformation, innovation, and sustainable development goals. This is also a testament to the friendship between the IPU and the Vietnamese National Assembly.
She said: “The Vietnamese National Assembly successfully hosted the 132nd IPU in 2015 and I believe that parliamentarians around the world are very pleased to have the opportunity to return to Vietnam. It can be recognized that the topics discussed at this Conference are very important, issues of great concern to young people regarding sustainable development and innovation, which Vietnam has effectively integrated into the discussions. I believe that Vietnam is the perfect host for the 9th Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians.”
According to Deputy Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Thanh Lam, the forum is important because the world is currently facing problems on a global scale. We all have the opportunity to provide solutions in our own country's way by making full use of scientific and technological achievements through digital transformation to simplify the decision-making process, people's access, and solve big problems with science and technology.
Vietnam needs to catch up with global trends and this is an opportune time for many countries to shorten the gap by applying innovation and technology achievements. Mr. Lam expressed great expectations for the discussion content at the conference because this is where the intelligence of many young parliamentarians representing many countries gather.
According to Mr. Nguyen Anh Tuan, it is the respect for cultural diversity that promotes creativity. Culture is considered the driving force for the development process, and this is also an issue that the leaders of the Party, State and National Assembly are very interested in. Culture is linked to digital transformation and innovation, which means that it is deeply connected to the world's hot trends, which seem very far away but are very connected in the present era. When we have a connection with the IPU, and a cooperation mechanism that respects the cultural characteristics of each country, we can contribute to building a world of peace, cooperation and development.
Finally, Mr. Pham Thai Ha, on behalf of the Conference's Propaganda Subcommittee, expressed his wish that the Conference would be a great success. Journalists and reporters attending will enhance their responsibilities, convey the message of the conference, of the youth as well as introduce the image of the country, people and development achievements of Vietnam, so that young parliamentarians around the world can have good impressions and spread them to their communities and countries.
At the 122nd IPU Assembly in Bangkok, Thailand in 2010, IPU member parliaments adopted a Resolution on “Youth Participation in the Democratic Process”, affirming that achieving democracy requires the full and active participation of young people and youth organizations in political activities at the local, national, regional and international levels. In 2013, the IPU established the Forum of Young Parliamentarians, an official and permanent mechanism within the IPU to contribute to increasing the quantity and quality of youth participation in parliaments and in the IPU. In 2014, the IPU established an annual global conference with the aims of: (i) Strengthening the role of young parliamentarians and youth participation in parliamentary activities and making recommendations from the youth perspective on IPU activities and agenda; (ii) Building networks, solidarity and capacity building, and broadening youth approaches to issues of common concern. Despite the strong political commitment of the IPU, progress in implementing the goal of youth participation in the democratic process is limited. According to the IPU, the presence of young people in parliaments is low. Half of the world's population is under 30 years old, while only 2.6% of parliamentarians worldwide are represented in this age group. Approximately 37% of national parliaments have no parliamentarians under 30 years old. Therefore, the IPU continues to promote the goals of empowering young people, expanding their participation in democratic processes and engaging them in solving current global issues. To date, 8 Global Conferences have been held with different themes. The 9th Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians will focus on promoting the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through digital transformation and innovation. In 2015, the 132nd IPU Assembly in Vietnam adopted the Hanoi Declaration on “Sustainable Development Goals: Turning Words into Actions”. In reality, the progress in implementing the SDGs is still too slow. According to the United Nations, only 12% of the SDGs are on track, while 50% are off track at a moderate or serious level. This situation requires the international community to make stronger efforts and make breakthroughs to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, including digital transformation, leveraging technology, innovation, and accelerating to find approaches and solutions; Along with that is promoting respect for cultural diversity, promoting the role of culture in the context of technological transformation and globalization associated with sustainable development. As politicians closest to the young generation, young parliamentarians are knowledgeable about science and new technology and will contribute to bringing the voices and talents of young people to find solutions in this field. The 9th Global Meeting of Young Parliamentarians is an opportunity for young parliamentarians from member parliaments around the world to discuss parliamentary actions to promote the role of young people in accelerating the implementation of sustainable development goals through digital transformation, innovation and promoting cultural diversity for sustainable development. |
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