The Conference adopted the Conference Statement on "The role of youth in accelerating the achievement of the SDGs through digital transformation and innovation". This is the first Statement of the Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians after 9 editions, demonstrating the high determination and consensus and strong commitment of the young parliamentarians of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) to promote the implementation of the SDGs on a global scale.

In his closing remarks, President of the Vietnamese National Assembly Vuong Dinh Hue affirmed that the success of the 9th Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians shows that the IPU Forum of Young Parliamentarians is a very necessary and useful forum for young parliamentarians. He affirmed the importance of young parliamentarians in particular and young people in general as the future owners of each country, nation and the whole world in participating in the realization of the goals and tasks of the IPU and the United Nations.

National Assembly President Vuong Dinh Hue respectfully urged the IPU Secretariat and member parliaments to spread the results of the conference to the UN's 2023 SDG Summit, scheduled for September 18-19, 2023 in New York, thereby honoring the role and affirming the commitment and actions of the IPU and young parliamentarians in particular to the global joint effort to accelerate the implementation of SDGs.

The National Assembly President also called on the IPU and its member parliaments to actively implement the Conference Statement and at the same time, establish appropriate mechanisms to cooperate with and support each other, especially between developed and developing countries in digital transformation and innovation.

"In the era of digital transformation, in the current boom of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), no country, no matter how big, can solve problems of global scale on its own, and vice versa, smaller and poorer countries still have opportunities and can find opportunities to develop. I think that in the time of 4IR, the future is not simply an extension of the past. Developed countries can also return to their starting point. That is an opportunity and also a premise for us to cooperate," he emphasized.

On behalf of the host country of the Conference, President Hue respectfully thanked and appreciated the effective support and collaboration of experts and staff of the IPU and its Secretariat, member parliaments, National Assembly bodies and relevant sectors of Vietnam. He thanked the Hanoi authorities, the National Convention Center, relevant localities, agencies and organizations, international and Vietnamese news agencies for their dedication and great contributions to the success of the Conference.

On behalf of the National Assembly and people of Vietnam, the President thanked the parliaments, parliamentarians, and delegates for their friendship and good sentiments towards the country and people of Vietnam, with increasingly effective cooperation.

He affirmed that in every stage of development of countries, the parliaments and parliamentarians, with their noble legislation, supervisor and enforcement roles, are always the vanguards in efforts for legal and institutional reforms and international integration. They serve as a bridge between the political will and the aspirations of the people, between domestic law and international law, between people of different countries, contributing to peace, friendship, cooperation and sustainable development, both regionally and globally.

Vietnam's consistent policy is to promote a foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, diversification and multilateralization, peace, friendship, cooperation and development, based on the basic principles of the UN Charter and international law. Vietnam attaches great importance to and actively and responsibly participates in multilateral institutions of which Vietnam is a member.

"In that spirit, the National Assembly of Vietnam will continue to actively cooperate with the IPU and join hands with member parliaments to realize the goals and resolutions of the IPU in general and the Statement of this Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians, continuously promotes noble missions, and elevates parliamentary diplomacy. It affirms that it will continue to actively contribute to the general activities of the IPU and is ready to host other conferences within the framework of the IPU's activities," the President affirmed.

Earlier, speaking at the closing session, on behalf of the IPU leaders and participants to the Conference, IPU President Duarte Pacheco thanked the National Assembly of Vietnam for hosting this Conference carefully and actively as well as the warm welcome for all the delegates. "Organizing an event of this size is not easy, and it is thanks to the hard work of many individuals that we owe its success, he said.

He also expressed his gratitude to all the guests, panelists, and speakers who contributed to this conference, saying their perspectives enriched and inspired the discussions.

The IPU President also thanked all participants to the Conference, including those who spent 20 - 30 hours flying to be here.

Emphasizing that after the Conference, there is more work to be done, the IPU President believed in the even more active engagement of young parliamentarians in the IPU and its agenda, as young people have much potential, knowledge and strong commitment to promoting sustainable development for all. The participation of young parliamentarians will increase in the future.

He shared his concern about the limited results of the SDGs realization, with only 12% of the targets met, while 15 experiencing heavy delays. In the next 7 years, there are a lot to do to ensure sustainable development for humanity.

The IPU President said that this is the work of everyone and parliamentarians are in a more leading position. "As parliamentarians, we need to do what we have pledged towards a better future for the world. We need to be leaders, otherwise we are just politicians. We cannot become leaders if we do not work hard to change the status quo and work towards better results," he said.

Accordingly, the IPU President suggested engaging youth in our communities in politics and digital technologies to accelerate progress; adapt our budgets to scale up support for youth led startups and enterprises; and promote science and innovation for sustainable development and enhance digital literacy for young people.

"The Conference statement presented earlier provides more concrete actions that you can take home with you. It is an important guide on how to act for the SDGs. The continuation of this journey now rests in our capable hands," he stressed.

He also pledged that the IPU is ready to support young parliamentarians in implementing their commitments at this Conference. "We cannot delay any longer. Let's try to work hard together to implement what we have committed and what we must do. We have the right to be proud of our work," he said.