Vietnamese Youth: Critical partners to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals

Viet Nam is currently experiencing a "golden population" period , recording the highest proportion of young people in Viet Nam's history. There are more than 25 million young people aged between 16-30 - more than a quarter of the total population.

Young people are the most connected, the most outspoken and the most open-minded generation the world has ever seen. They are powerful agents of positive change, and must play a key role in taking forward the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Yet too often, young people's ideas and views are overlooked. Not only is this not good for young people, but it also means that ideas and potential are wasted that could be harnessed to build a better future for everyone.

Three years ago, a thousand days before the Millennium Development Goals were due to expire, the United Nations reached out across the world to ask people what kind of world they wanted to see. More than a million people took part in United Nation's largest ever public consultation to help design 'The World We Want'. There are 4,500 Vietnamese citizens - more than 80% of them young people - took part in this global online survey. They shared the challenges they are facing, and expressed their hopes, fears and aspirations for the future.

Today, on 12 August, as communities everywhere observe International Youth Day, Ministry of Home Affairs and the United Nations in Viet Nam co-organize a Youth Event with the theme on "Vietnamese Youth: Partners in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals" in Ha Noi.

We believe that young people must play a key role in working to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals . A strong partnership between young people and all other stakeholders will be vital so that young people's challenges can be addressed, their contributions recognized, and to ensure that they are included at all levels of decision-making.

The event is centered around the visions of five, strong young leaders, as an sample of the 25 million different voices of young people to be heard, and a face-to-face dialogue with high-level leaders of youth-relevant ministeries and the Youth Union.

There will also be a youth market where youth-led groups and young people display their products, including photos and videos made by young people that reflect their points of view on Sustainable Development Goals, challenges that they are facing and proposed solutions. In addition, vulnerable groups and young entrepreneurs will bring their products such as handicrafts, innovative technologies and applications for exhibition at the event.

The 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with a total of 169 targets were adopted in 2015. Sixty five out of the 169 SDG targets explicitly or implicitly refer to young people. These targets focus on empowerment, participation and/or well-being. There are 20 youth-specific targets spread over six key SDGs: Goal 2 to end hunger, Goal 4 to provide quality education, Goal 5 to achieve gender equality, Goal 8 to provide decent work and achieve economic grow, Goal 10 to reduce inequality and Goal 13 to take action on climate change.

Young people's involvement will be vital if we are to achieve the full participation, inclusion, accountability and global engagement that is envisioned in Goal 16 to build peaceful, just and inclusive societies, and Goal 17 on partnerships and implementation.

"We can only achieve these goals if young people can actively and meaningfully participate in development processes as drivers of change and leaders of our future. Here in Viet Nam, the SDGs must be everyone's business, especially young people," said Ms. Pratibha Mehta, United Nations Resident Coordinator in Viet Nam.

On International Youth Day 2016, both the Ministry of Home Affairs and the United Nations in Viet Nam call on all stakeholders to make sure that young people are fully listened to, engaged and empowered to play a key role in the national effort to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.