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| Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia Peter Cosgrove and his spouse (centre) pose for a photo with founders and executive members of the Australia – Vietnam Young Leadership Dialogue. (Photo: VNA) |
Present at the event were Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia Peter Cosgrove and his spouse, Vietnamese Consul General in New South Wales, Queensland, and South Australia Trinh Duc Hai, and Australia-ASEAN Council Board Chairwoman Christine Holgate.
The event also marked the launch of application invitation from both emerging young Vietnamese and Australian leaders in business, startups, academia, government, not-for-profit and the arts. Twenty candidates will be later selected to attend the AVYLD to be held in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City from May 26 – 30, 2019.
Following the highly successful inaugural dialogue in 2017, the delegates will come together to openly discuss the theme “Beyond 2019: creating a sustainable future together”.
In his opening remarks, Governor-General Peter Cosgrove highly spoke of the decades-long relationship in diplomacy, trade and economics between Vietnam and Australia, saying this year is special as it marks the 45th anniversary of the two countries’ diplomatic ties.
He expressed his belief that to maintain the prosperity for the two nations against the backdrop of globalization, they need young leaders who are innovative, compassionate and courageous with an international vision.
He expects the AVYLD will help bridge innovators who will directly contribute to the bilateral relations and more importantly, foster the sustainable development in both sides.
Consul General Trinh Duc Hai, for his part, said he is delight at the remarkable steps the two countries have made to promote their friendship and Strategic Partnership. He wished the AVYLD 2019 a great success and hoped that the bilateral ties will flourish in all fields next year.
Following the launch event in Sydney, a similar event will take place in HCM City on October 29.
The Australia Vietnam Young Leadership Dialogue (AVYLD) is an independent non-profit initiative that was established to nurture relationships, promote engagement and incubate collaboration between Australian and Vietnamese young leaders from a broad spectrum of society. It also aims to facilitate deeper understanding and to foster long-term, mutually beneficial relationships to improve economic, social and cultural prosperity for citizens in Vietnam and Australia.
The first AVYLD, themed “Innovation”, took place in Sydney in 2017, bringing together 20 Vietnamese and Australian delegates aged 25 – 35.
