First Vice Chairwoman of the National Assembly (NA) of Vietnam Tòng Thị Phóng chairs the first ever unofficial meeting of young parliamentarians of AIPA from Hà Nội on Tuesday. VNA/VNS photo Văn Điệp

 HÀ NỘI– The important role of young parliamentarians in conveying desires and ideas of young voters in contributing to AIPA and its member parliaments was highlighted at their first ever unofficial meeting held today within the framework of the virtual 41st AIPA General Assembly (AIPA-41).

Addressing the event, first Vice Chairwoman of the National Assembly (NA) of Vietnam Tòng Thị Phóng said young parliamentarians of AIPA were an important factor to connect youngsters and promote their participation in building the ASEAN Community and realising goals of the ASEAN Community Vision 2025 through the ASEAN Work Plan on Youth for 2016-2020 and the following years.

Phóng voiced her expectation that the meeting of young parliamentarians of AIPA would be organised on an annual basis within the framework of AIPA General Assembly, saying that the annual meeting would create a forum for young parliaments of AIPA to share experience in doing parliamentary works, contributing to building and developing the ASEAN Community.

Chairman of the Group of Young Deputies in the Vietnamese NA Lê Quốc Phong said young people are an important resource for socio-economic development of ASEAN member countries as well as for the continual growth of ASEAN Community.

He hailed the increasingly active participation of young parliamentarians in AIPA in general and its member parliaments in particular.

During the event, participants exchanged experiences in promoting the participation of young parliamentarians in building the ASEAN Community in the context of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and the COVID-19 pandemic’s impacts on all spheres of socio-economic life in ASEAN member countries.

Young parliamentarians taking part in the meeting approved a draft Resolution on participation of young AIPA parliamentarians in building the ASEAN Community. The final resolution is expected to be approved by AIPA 41 by September 10.

The idea of organising a meeting of young parliamentarians of AIPA was initiated by Vietnamese NA Chairwoman Nguyễn Thị Kim Ngân when she assumed the role of AIPA 41 Chair. It had been reiterated in the ASEAN Leaders' Interface with Representatives of AIPA and the ASEAN Leaders’ Interface with Representatives of ASEAN Youth within the 36th ASEAN Summit. VNS