Secretary for Home & Youth Affairs Alice Mak met Lao People's Democratic Republic (PDR) Minister of Education & Sports Phout Simmalavong during her visit to Vientiane, Laos, today.

At the meeting with Lao Youth Union Secretary General Monexay Laomoaxong in the morning, the officials shared work and experiences in nurturing the new generation of young people and promoting youth development with the Youth Union.

Miss Mak then visited Lao PDR Minister of Education & Sports Phout Simmalavong, thanking Laos for its support of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government's youth development work.

The Home & Youth Affairs Bureau held the inaugural Youth Development Summit in August this year, which featured officials responsible for youth policies from various countries as guest speakers, including Lao PDR Deputy Minister of Education & Sports Kingmano Phommahaxay.

The officials exchanged views on the youth development work of the two places and explored possibilities for strengthening bilateral co-operation to provide Hong Kong youth with more opportunities to broaden their international perspectives.

In the afternoon, Miss Mak visited the United Nations (UN) Development Programme and the UN Human Settlements Programme in Laos, where she met representatives from the agencies and volunteer interns to learn about the operation of the UN Volunteers - Hong Kong Universities Volunteer Internship Programme and the interns' working environment.

Miss Mak noted that 130 Hong Kong university students have participated in the programme so far. They had the opportunity to gain first-hand experience in the country's involvement in international affairs and understand China's contributions and influences on the global landscape, thereby deepening their understanding of Hong Kong's role and positioning.