A journey towards a better future

The United Nations awards the winner of the “Youth initiative to promote volunteerism for the MDGs”

Ha Noi, 11 August – On the occasion of International Youth Day, 12 August, the United Nations (UN) Viet Nam is pleased to announce the winner of the “Youth Initiative to Promote Volunteerism for the Millennium Development Goals (MDG)” contest. The winning proposal was submitted by Ms. Nguyen Thi Tuyet Mai, an new law graduate. She will be undertaking an MDG journey throughout the country in order to disseminate the message about poverty reduction to young people.

The contest, initiated by United Nations Volunteers (UNV), was launched in June and invited young Vietnamese people to apply for sponsorship of USD 1,000 to support an initiative that promotes volunteerism for the Millennium Development Goals (MDG). The contest follows on an innovative effort made in 2003 by Nguyen Van Dung, a 24 year-old volunteer, who traveled from Hanoi to HCMC by bicycle to raise awareness on the MDGs amongst young people all over Viet Nam. He spoke to groups of young people in Hue, Hoi An, Nha Trang, Dalat, and Vung Tau encouraging them to help achieve the MDGs in Viet Nam.

“My initiative differs from Dung's as I will visit 13 provinces with lowest MDG index ranking according to the latest MDG report published by the United Nations” Mai said. ”Furthermore I will mainly use public transport instead of cycling. You could indeed see it as a follow-up of Dung's initiative, as I would like to visit all those places where he spread the MDG message and talk to the people he had met to see the impacts”.

Mai took part in a recent trip organized by her University, visiting remote villages of Lao Cai province to help minority people with registering birth and residency. It was her first time experience how people live in other remote, poor areas of the country and it made her think of what she could do. She learned of the contest through a UNV vacancy notice and though it would offer a perfect opportunity for her to do what she's been longing to do: visiting other parts of the country, meeting people and documenting the life they live while delivering the MDG message. She hopes to learn about real-life MDG stories and share them with the media and students in universities.

The United Nations in Viet Nam actively seeks to enhance participation of youth in the economical, social, political and cultural life of the society. The reason is simple for as Jordan Ryan, the UN Resident Coordinator explains, “youth is the major force of Viet Nam's future”. He added, "The journey to MDGs is a long and difficult one. The UN is pleased to see the young generation of Viet Nam taking on these challenges with enthusiasm and with the spirit of volunteerism. We are sure that Viet Nam will be a much more prosperous nation if the country taps into the energy of youth like Mai.”

Mai says the award will be the best birthday present ever as she is turning 23 on August 12, International Youth Day. Already receiving full support from her family from Vinh Phuc province, she plans to start her trip on National Day, September 2 and finish it a few days before International Volunteer Day, on December 5.

The eight MDG's - eradicate extreme poverty and hunger; achieve universal primary education; promote gender equality; reduce child mortality; improve maternal health; combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases; ensure environmental sustainability; and develop a global partnership for development - were adopted by some 189 countries, including Viet Nam, at the historic UN Millennium Summit in September 2000. The MDG's represent a consensus by world leaders on global development priorities and goals to the year 2015.

The United Nations, in partnership with the Government and people of Viet Nam, works to ensure that all Vietnamese people enjoy an increasingly healthy and prosperous life with greater human dignity and expanded choices. Collectively and through its individual agencies, the United Nations cares and creates opportunities for the poor and most vulnerable, and for youth, to whom the future belongs. In accordance with the United Nations Charter and Millennium Declaration, the United Nations advances the principles of equality and social justice, while providing impartial advice, technical expertise, access to global knowledge and local experience to meet Viet Nam's development challenges.