Launch of the Youth Advisory Board

• Ms Sikhayphet Sengmany, Acting Permanent Secretary of the Cabinet Office, Lao Youth Union
• Mr. Alomlangsy Rajvong, Deputy Director-General, Department of International Organisations, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
• Members of the UN Country Team
• And our chosen Youth Advisory Board members:

Sabaidee Ton Sao:

I am absolutely delighted to welcome you all to the launch of the Youth Advisory Board to the United Nations Country Team in Lao PDR. The work leading up to today took more than a year ago – and I’m pleased that we are together for this important milestone. 

On behalf of the UN Country Team, let me first acknowledge our special guests from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Lao Youth Union. Our thanks to Ms. Sikhayphet and Mr. Alomlangsy for your support and engagement in the establishment of the Youth Advisory Board.

Let me turn to our newly appointed members of the Youth Advisory Board – a very warm welcome to you all! Congratulations on becoming a member of the first Youth Advisory Board to the UN Country Team in Lao PDR.

The concept of Youth Advisory Boards is not new for the UN, in fact the idea has been around for nearly two decades. In 2008, one of the earliest formal Youth Advisory Boards was established by UN-Habitat at the World Urban Forum held in China.

Five years later in 2013, the UN Secretary-General's first Envoy on Youth was appointed, signaling that the United Nations and the Secretary-Generals themselves need to engage directly with young people.

In 2018, the United Nations launched Youth2030, its first system-wide strategy for working with – and for – young people. In July 2020, the concept gained further global momentum when the Secretary-General established his first Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change. Seven young climate leaders were selected to provide him with practical advice, fresh ideas and diverse perspectives.

Since then, youth advisory mechanisms have increasingly been established at the country level. Within our region, Cambodia has had a UN Youth Advisory Panel since 2007. Thailand established an SDG Youth Panel to advise the Resident Coordinator and heads of UN agencies. Viet Nam has used a Youth Advisory Group to support youth participation in national policy processes. 

The establishment of the Board in Laos reflects our commitment to implementing the Youth2030 Strategy through meaningful and mutually reinforcing youth engagements across the UN system. Youth empowerment is also reflected in our ongoing LaoUN70 campaign marking 70 years since Laos joined the United Nations.

And this is how the Youth Advisory Board in Lao PDR came into being. Above all, it is a way to bring young people’s perspectives into our collective work. It will help us better understand the experiences, priorities and aspirations of young people, ensuring that our programs remain relevant, inclusive, responsive and impactful. 

From 36 applications received through agency nominations and an open call, ten outstanding young people were selected to form the first cohort of the Youth Advisory Board. They were chosen based on their motivation, commitment and demonstrated experience.

I am happy to see you at UN House today: five young women and five young men, bringing diverse perspectives and lived experiences from Vientiane, Savannakhet, Luang Prabang and Phongsaly.

Among the 10 are students, teachers, journalists, AI trainers, health advocates, conservation leaders, social entrepreneurs and community volunteers. 

Together, they represent a breathtaking array of expertise in education, digital literacy and online safety, mental health, gender equality, disability inclusion, biodiversity and climate action, youth employment, social innovation, the circular economy, and supporting vulnerable young people.

Some of the group’s individual projects and accomplishments include creating social enterprises that transform rice straw and other agricultural waste into sustainable products; or helping young people and small businesses strengthen their digital and AI skills. Several members have experience representing Lao youth in regional and international forums and initiatives.

These are impressive achievements considering that some members are only 18 years old. The accomplishments speak to the energy, dedication and potential they bring to their role.

Dear Youth Advisory Board members:

Today’s launch marks the beginning of your two-year term as members of the Youth Advisory Board. During this period, we hope you will help us better understand how young people experience the work of the United Nations in practice, and how our programs and initiatives can better respond to their challenges and aspirations.

We encourage you to tell us when our language is too technical or difficult for young people to understand, and when our programs do not sufficiently reflect their needs and concerns.

We also encourage you to look beyond your own universities, organizations and social circles, and bring into our discussions the widest possible range of perspectives of young people across the country – channel their views, ask questions, and identify whose voices may still be missing from the conversation.

Most importantly, we invite you not only to identify challenges, but also to work with us in finding practical solutions. Together, let us turn concerns into recommendations, ideas into action, and commitments into tangible results.

As inaugural members of this Board, you have a unique responsibility. You will help establish its credibility, shape its ways of working, and set the standard for those who follow. 

We are proud to welcome you today, and are excited to work with you as trusted and valued young advisers.

Before concluding, I want to reiterate my thanks to the Lao Youth Union and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for their presence here today, and for their continued support in championing youth contributions to national development priorities.

My appreciation also goes to Heads of Agencies of the UN Country Team for their personal support and also collaboration of their teams in getting us to where we are today.

Congratulations once again to the 10 members, and our hearty welcome to the Youth Advisory Board of the UN Country Team in Lao PDR!