Mr. Nguyen Trong Thua, Vice Minister of Ministry of Home Affairs

Ladies and gentlemen,

Good morning to you all!

I am honored to be here today on behalf of the UNFPA, and I greatly appreciate the cooperation of the Department of Youth Affairs, Ministry of Home Affairs, in organizing this important national consultation workshop on the draft of the implementation plan of National Youth Development Strategy for the period 2016-2020. I would like to commend the efforts and the commitment of government of Vietnam in general and MOHA in particular to have this consultative forum to reflect young people’s voice in the implementation plan of the Youth Strategy. It is very timely to have this workshop shortly after our very successful celebration of the International Youth Day last week, where young people led the dialogue with policymakers.

Distinguished guests,

One of the Viet Nam’s most important resources is young people: committed, energetic, creative, and healthy young men and women. They constitute nearly 1/3 of the total population as Viet Nam is still in its ‘demographic dividend’ period. These young people are the key to social, political, environmental and economic development. Investing in young people, in their health, education, employment, and their participation in policy development processes, is essential for sustainable and equitable development of the country.

As you must know, Viet Nam was very successful in meeting most of the Millennium Development Goals. Yet challenges still remain, also relating to young people. For instance, one third of Vietnamese young people continue to face barriers when accessing sexual and reproductive health information and services. Young people also have difficulties in accessing education they want, as well as finding suitable employment or adequate support for creating their own jobs after they graduate schools. Some young people also experience gender-based violence, stigma and discrimination. We have more work to do to create a society where every young person’s potential is fulfilled.

Ladies and gentlemen,
In the context of the meeting today, I would like to highlight the following four messages:
First, as part of the global efforts to achieve the new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), or the Agenda 2030, the challenges that young people face today must be addressed under the principle of “leave no one behind”. There are 20 youth-specific targets spread over six key SDGs, including Goal 3 on health, Goal 4 on quality education and Goal 5 on gender equality. As the Vietnamese government committed itself to achieve the SDGs, it is important that during today’s discussion, youth-specific SDG targets are discussed and reflected in the implementation plan of the national youth strategy.

Second, the participation of young people in designing and analyzing the policies that affect them is key to ensure that the policies and services respond to their actual needs. Evidence shows that working in partnership with young people is an essential component of any successful youth related programmes. While integrating the perspectives of young people, it is essential not to consider young people as a homogeneous group. We need to ensure that young people from all parts of the society, including those who are in a vulnerable situation, have an equal opportunity to participate in policy dialogue and in the implementation of programmes that affect their lives.

Last but not the least, I recommend MOHA to continue playing a leading role in promoting youth participation and engaging young people in policy discussion on the issues that affect young people’s lives. MOHA and Youth Union have done a lot to make good progress in youth participation, but we believe that more can be done.

Distinguished guests,

As I mentioned earlier, last Friday on August 12, UN and Ministry of Home Affairs organized a celebration of International Youth Day with the theme on “Vietnamese Youth: Partners in achieving Sustainable Developments Goals”. This theme expresses our view on youth as partners whose energy, passion and creativity can build a better future for this country. As the UN Resident Coordinator, Ms. Pratibha Mehta mentioned, youth is at the center of the next One Strategic Plan of the United Nations for Vietnam. On behalf of UNFPA and UN Inter-Agency Working Group on Young People, we reaffirm our full support for the comprehensive development of young people in Viet Nam

Thank you very much for your attention and participation. We are looking forward to your active participation and valuable contribution during today’s workshop. And I wish you all good health, happiness and success.