11 August 2023, Vientiane, Lao PDR- With the participation of more than 500 young men and women, Lao Youth Union (LYU), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the Delegation of the European Union to Laos jointly organized the celebration of International Youth Day at LAO-ITECC in an atmosphere of creativity, artistic performances and youth leadership to advance social and environmental responsibility and put youth at the heart of development policies and actions.
To mark this year’s celebration, youth-led initiatives started taking place on 11 July and continued throughout the month to provide space for youth to organize constructive activities and encourage youth to develop their capacities, talents and skills.
This year’s theme: “Green Skills for Youth: Towards a Sustainable World” is particularly important as it links environmental action to the global development agenda. Activities were organized under UNFPA’s global campaign: “Me, My Body, My Planet, My Future” with other stakeholders to promote an interlinked approach to the wellbeing of youth that takes into consideration their sexual and reproductive health needs and rights and environmental issues that if not addressed, will heavily impact the quality of life of the population.
Climate resilience and green skills are no longer an optional topic if we want to stop the disastrous consequences of climate change. Worldwide, its impact is expected to double humanitarian response needs by 2030. This year's floods in Laos have already caused heartbreaking damages to houses and villages, affecting families, especially women and girls. More than twenty-five thousand people were affected by the recent floods in Khammouan, Savannakhet, Bolikhamxay and other provinces, amongst them twelve thousand are women (almost 51 percent of the affected population), and most of them are young women of reproductive age and girls.
Amidst the climate change challenges, Lao is in the middle stage of demographic transition. Lao PDR has a young population, with over half of the population aged between 10 and 35 years. This demographic trend creates a one-time demographic window of opportunity or dividend which is economic growth achieved by having proportionally more young people of working age.
Harnessing this demographic dividend requires investing in education, human capital development, their empowerment and employment, thus increasing their preparedness and resilience in support of the country’s economic recovery and sustainable development. Furthermore, a successful transition to a greener world will depend on the development of youth green skills, including technical knowledge to enable them to use green technologies and environment friendly practices, as well as a range of values and attitudes to facilitate environmentally sustainable decisions in life. Thus, young people are uniquely positioned to build resilience in the face of the current climate crisis and manage risks, including risks related to sexual and reproductive health and gender-based violence during and in the aftermath of natural disasters.
Mr. Nuanthong Souvanvixay emphasized: “IYD celebration has become a tradition now to create opportunities for youth to show their intellectual and physical abilities through all activities they design and implement. IYD is a space for intergenerational dialogue between adults and youth to meet and exchange on their experiences and opinions so that the voice and contribution of youth in all their diversity is fully integrated in Laos development. Prosperity and growth can not be achieved without actions on climate change that recognize the role of each member of the society, especially youth who represent half of our population in Laos”.
Promoting youth leadership by enhancing platforms for learning, showing their ability and participation in society is part of the Youth and Adolescent Development Plan and the Youth and Adolescent Development Strategy 2021-2030 for Laos as well as the government commitments to the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD25).
Amongst the activities organized for IYD celebration there were: drawing and drama competitions, debates and panel discussions, social media awareness campaigns, etc. IYD also brought together representatives from various line ministries, UN agencies, donors, media, iNGOs and local CSOs, including private sectors to strengthen dialogue of joint initiatives and promote the role of youth as full agents of change, masters of innovation and leaders of Lao PDR to realize the benefits of the demographic dividend.
Mr Vincent VIRE, EU Chargé’d Affaires a.i stressed that “The theme for this year corresponds to a priority objective of the EU and its Member States to empower young people all over the world to play a leading role in the necessary green transition to preserve our planet. To pursue this objective, the EU has intensified its support to Youth actions in the Lao PDR in the last two years.”
“Greater investments in young people’s education, empowerment and green skills, coupled with environment-friendly practices will help communities withstand and respond to climate disasters. Young people are uniquely positioned to build resilience in the face of the current climate crisis and manage risks, including risks of ill sexual and reproductive health and gender-based violence during and in the aftermath of natural disasters. Young people need to be supported, well-equipped and resilient in the face of climate risks to meaningfully contribute to reducing the risks and consequences of climate change and building climate resilience. In this respect, I would like to underline and sincerely appreciate the high-level commitment of the Government of Lao PDR to youth empowerment and participation, as evidenced by the Youth and Adolescent Strategy for 2021-2030 and Youth Law.” said UNFPA Representative, Dr. Bakhtiyor Kadyrov.
Throughout the year, UNFPA will continue to support youth-led activities under the campaign: “Me, My body, My Planet, My Future” by organizing workshops, competitions, challenges, supporting innovations and bringing non-traditional partners onboard such as the media and the private sector.
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UNFPA, the United Nations Sexual and reproductive health agency, works in over 150 countries, including Lao PDR, to achieve zero maternal deaths, zero unmet family planning needs, and zero gender-based violence.
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