Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians talks innovation, start-up policies

At the event, a lawmaker from Algeria said the African country has issued innovation development policies since 2016, aiming to pursue sustainable development goals which are significantly influenced by the impact of digital transformation and technological advancements across various sectors.

Over the past two years, Algeria has initiated schemes to promote a knowledge-based economy, with a particular focus on projects initiated by young people, thus creating many startup incubators.

Highlighting the importance of promoting the role of women and groups in remote and mountainous regions, he said geographic location and gender should not be barriers to achieving their goals and ambitions. He also highlighted the need for women to have equal rights, safety, and access to digital technology.

Burkina Faso's efforts to support entrepreneurship and startups through initiatives like the Young Enterprise Fund and its national programme were also noteworthy. The country has allocated 150,000 USD to startups that have a positive social and environmental impact. Its training courses for startups have also been deployed over the past nearly four years.

Acknowledging the rapid development and the role of artificial intelligence (AI), a lawmaker from Brunei stressed that the challenges of the new era could not be addressed without the collective efforts of the younger generation.

To make the best use of AI, a Korean lawmaker suggested several key actions, including storing and sharing big data, enhancing data management and increasing the participation of private sector.