Vientiane, 7 July, 2014 - As part of the celebrations for the World Population Day, the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) and Lao Youth Union (LYU) with support from The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) conducted a seminar under the theme "Lao Youth and Development" on 7th July at Donchan Palace Hotel, with participation from the National Assembly, government and development partners and the Lao Youth Network.

"Lao PDR is a young country with more than 60% of the population under the age of 24. Therefore, it is essential to invest in youth in particular health, education and employment" said Dr. Khampha Phimmasone, Deputy General Secretary of the Lao Youth Union.

"Adolescents and youth are central to the future development agenda. It is our responsibility to safeguard their rights and invest in their future by providing, which are essential to their development and that of their families, communities and the country as a whole" said Dr. Hassan Mohtashami, UNFPA Representative.

This year's World Population Day theme is "Investing in Young People" which aims to increase advocacy for greater investment and attention to young people who is the central to the development agenda.

Considering the relevance of the theme for Laos, MPI and UNFPA opted to mark this important event with a number of activities throughout the month, including the seminar, a friendly football match between government, young people and development partners, a youth fair and concert with participation of many renowned Lao artists and a debate session by students at the National University of Laos. In addition to the activities, a selfie contest for young people is ongoing on Facebook to engage young people.

The main purpose of the seminar was to advocate for the inclusion of youth-related issues into the preparation of the 8th National Socio-Economic Development Plan (NSEDP). During the event, representatives of the youth had the opportunity to discuss about issues affecting young people with different government partners. Key points from this discussion will be used as recommendations for the policy makers developing the 8th NSEDP.

For more information please contact:
Ms. Vanly Lorkuangming
Communications Associate - UNFPA
E-mail: lorkuangming@unfpa.org
Tel: +856-21 315547, 353048-9
Mobile: +856 20 77822456