Pauline Tamesis, UN Resident Coordinator in Việt Nam and Jonathan Baker, UNESCO Representative in Việt Nam

Pauline Tamesis, UN Resident Coordinator in Việt Nam and Jonathan Baker, UNESCO Representative in Việt Nam, underscored the need to forge an equitable, inclusive digital future driven by young people in an Op-Ed on the occasion of the International Youth Day (August 12).

Digital technologies are transforming Việt Nam and the world.

Young people today are growing in tandem with digital technologies. As digital natives, they are the main drivers of this change. Việt Nam is fortunate - it recorded the highest proportion of young people in the country’s history with 21 per cent or 20.4 million young people aged 10 – 24 (GSO, 2019). Therefore, now is a perfect time to catalyse the change towards a digital future for all, with youth and by youth.

Today, the global community celebrates International Youth Day with a focus on 'From Clicks to Progress: Youth Digital Pathways for Sustainable Development'. We recognise and celebrate the key role of young people in shaping our digital future, the courage they have to address old and new challenges and the creativity they show in finding solutions. As we strive for a digital society that is open, secure and human-centred, we need to listen to youth perspectives on our digital future.

With this in mind, the United Nations (UN) in Việt Nam hosted Youth Dialogues for an Inclusive Digital Future in Việt Nam in preparation for the upcoming Summit of the Future. We gathered young tech entrepreneurs together with youth hailing from minority communities at workshops in HCM City to brainstorm how an inclusive digital future in Việt Nam can be achieved. Using foresight techniques, the participants envisioned future digital government services, which can be used by everyone, everywhere.

While exploring the opportunities generated by digitalisation, the participants were mindful of risks such as accessibility, internet security, confidentiality and online violence. Minority communities, often less informed, are most at risk from online harm. Encouragingly, we witnessed the aspiration of youth to mobilise communities in their entirety for a digital transformation that is for everyone. Youth participants were particularly focused on the needs of those most at risk of being left behind in the digital future – such as the elderly, LGBTQI+ individuals, and ethnic minorities. Such intergenerational and inclusive approaches are particularly important to achieve our common goal – an inclusive digital future in Việt Nam.

Some examples of digitalised government services that the Vietnamese youth participating in our Youth Dialogues identified as important in digital society:

• Apps that simplify access to e-government services including language interpretation for diverse groups
• Apps that integrate health records from all hospitals to better assist people in seeking medical care in Việt Nam
• Systems that use AI and continuous data collection to regulate irrigation of agricultural fields and improve farming practices.

To make an inclusive digital future happen, the workshop participants also formulated key principles for designing a digitally transformed government. They envision a human behind every digital service and all services being simple but constantly improving. Additionally, they want people to use data responsibly and for 'data dignity' to flourish.

We see young people as our allies in digital transformation. We draw from their innovative approaches and will work with them to ensure they have the necessary future skills through various online and offline interactive projects and initiatives. With a significant youth population adapted to digitalisation and mastering future skills, Việt Nam can unleash tremendous potential for the benefit of its society and the world.

We see the boundless passion young people have for helping those around them. One youth participant in the HCM City workshops put it succinctly: “I hope to continue improving my ability to support people effectively. I want to help people access and utilise technology to improve their lives and work.”

We share this commitment.

Together, we will forge an inclusive and resilient digital future for all.