The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) has joined a conference to promote voluntary activities in Vietnam as well as mobilizing more local volunteers, state media reported. Attending the second national conference on “Volunteerism for Peace and Development”, Setsuko Yamazaki, UNDP director in Vietnam, said that the UNV expected to encourage the contribution to connecting people and boosting the development. Delegates who come from international non-governmental organizations in Vietnam discussed measures and proposals to the government for better policies and legal frameworks that will help professionalize volunteerism. The move is expected to promote the country’s process to reach millennium development goals (MDGs), Setsuko said. During the event, 10 individuals and 10 organizations were honored by their contributions to the volunteerism in Vietnam over the past decade. The UNV has around 40-60 foreign and Vietnamese volunteers working in Vietnam to help the country realize the millennium development goals. UNV has supported social programs including the Greater Involvement of People Living with HIV and AIDS (GIPA) and vocational training among young people in Vietnam and planed to expand volunteer network in the country. Vietnam through Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Unions has held voluntary activities per year, mostly in summer vacation for young people and students to conduct volunteerism in mountainous, boundary and remote areas, even to localities in Cambodia and Laos. The state agency-held voluntary activities, however, somewhat convey some messages praising the role of the Communist party and state, local analysts said. (Thanh Nien –Young People Dec 6 p2, www.un.org.vn [1] Dec 5)
