Vice Rector Hoang Anh Tuan receives Ms. Caitlin Wiesen (Country Director of UNDP)

Ms. Caitlin Wiesen expressed her gratitude to the University of Social Sciences and Humanities for collaborating in organizing the Social Good Summit on the university campus at the beginning of the new academic year. The Social Good Summit is an annual event of the UNDP global organization, aimed at exchanging ideas and seeking innovative solutions to address the challenges facing nations.

UNDP leaders also shared information about ongoing youth-related activities organized by UNDP, such as: the Youth CoLab program supporting social entrepreneurship, the Parliamentary Simulation Program, and the HowAbnormal communication initiative competition on gender equality... UNDP is delighted to welcome the participation of the university's students.

According to the results of the Youth Survey on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) conducted by the UNDP, the Vietnamese Ministry of Planning and Investment, and partners in early 2018, more than 7,000 young people from 63 provinces and cities of Vietnam participated in the survey. Of these, nearly 75% of the surveyed youth had never heard of the SDGs. Therefore, organizing events to introduce the SDGs to a wider audience of young people, such as the Social Good Summit, is essential.

Currently, the University has sent staff to participate in the ASEAN My World survey – an initiative launched by UNDP and the ASEAN Secretary-General to survey the general public's understanding of the SDGs. Nearly 1,200 participants have already taken the survey in Vietnam, making Vietnam the ASEAN country with the highest number of participants. In 2020, Vietnam will hold the rotating chairmanship of ASEAN. The high number of participants in the ASEAN My World survey from Vietnam is good news, contributing to Vietnam's active participation in the bloc's activities.

In response, Vice Rector Hoang Anh Tuan stated that the two sides have great potential for future cooperation and exchange in youth activities and other fields. They could organize guest lectures with the participation of experts from UNDP; and organize sharing sessions for students of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities on sustainable development and other related topics.