UEHxHOLLAND: SDG DAY 2022

In HCMC, Consul-General Daniël Stork had a robust and vivid discussion with students from the University of Economics in Ho Chi Minh City (UEH) about , what they mean for the students and the university, and how to bring them into practice in the future. More specifically, the discussion concentrated on concerns voiced by the students, relating to poverty, quality of education and accessibility to girls and minorities, #femaleentrepreneurship, #environment and #sustainability, #literacy, and #genderequality.

The year 2022 marks the 7th anniversary since the establishment of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. For nearly a decade, many nations have engaged in dialogues and taken significant steps to address the challenges we face, including poverty, inequality, education, environment, peace and justice, and others.

On 23 September 2022, UEH was honored to be received by Consul General Daniël Stork, and Deputy Consul General Eline van der Veen for the SDG flag hoisting ceremony and an intimate luncheon-discussion on student perspectives of the SDGs.

Joining from UEH were Ms. Phuong (Lisa) Thai – International Programs Advisor, Department of Research Management – International Cooperation; Ms. Kim Du - Deputy Secretary of UEH Youth Union cum ISB Lecturer; Ms. Phuong (Christina) Thai - UEH-ISB BBUS sophomore; Ms. Tra (Alyssa) Nguyen and Mr. Bao (Sean) Le - WSU freshmen.

As a kickstart, Ms. Kim Du, Deputy Secretary of UEH Youth Union cum ISB Lecturer proudly introduced UEH’s most recent sustainability efforts with the UEH Zero Waste Campus project [1], pioneered and led by some of the university’s most brilliant and forward-thinking minds. She then spoke on how the university seeks to engage students in these projects, specifically by hosting student-centric charity events through strategic alliances with Rethink Plastic Vietnam, a prominent non-governmental organization in the nation.

When questioned about the SDGs with which students are most aligned with, 19-year-old Tra (Alyssa) Nguyen revealed that her focus is with the people – in particular, education equity for the masses. While acknowledging the significance of economic growth and infrastructure development, the WSU-International Business major consistently emphasized the imperative of safeguarding the welfare of the public. Specifically, Alyssa argued that by focusing on alleviating and eradicating poverty, providing the public with equal access to their basic needs, and making greater efforts to protect the environment, sustainable growth would be more feasible, and we would be able to avoid diminishing returns due to unstable investment in people versus the economy.

Ms. Phuong (Christina) Thai then expressed her concerns about gender disparity at both the university and national levels. The sophomore applauded UEH's overall effort in educating students and the community on gender-related issues, whether it be pronouns, rights, or meaning, but noted that more might be done to open up the conversations to more former, current, and prospective students. She also remarked on the impact that the UEH Global Learning Program [1] [2] has had on the lives of many people, including herself, having completed an online exam through this online portal while she was still in high school/prior to officially enrolling at UEH. The Finance & Banking major believed that if such an effort on education could already have such an impact on the community, then the same could and should be done for other critical issues – notably gender equality – in order for students to feel safe to be themselves and live authentically. In response, Consul General Daniël Stork reminded all participants that the Netherlands was the first country in the world to legalize gay marriage more than two decades ago, with Amsterdam being the first official city to do so. In addition, His Excellency Consul General Daniël Stork reaffirmed his country's support for the Vietnamese people's campaign for equal rights in the LGBTIQ+ community through the "I do" initiative, and suggested partnerships and exchanges between UEH and Dutch students through the COC, the main facilitator and promoter of human and gender rights.

Bao (Sean) Le, first-year Western Sydney University student, informed the group about a volunteer program he and his friends participated in that aimed to eradicate illiteracy among young and disadvantaged children. Through his everyday observations of the world around him, his neighborhood, and the communities, he was inspired and determined to undertake this initiative to improve the scholarship rate in Vietnam. Deputy Consul General Eline van der Veen also shared her and her family's personal efforts to improve the community's health and well-being by participating in the World Cleanup Day, which took place only 10 days prior.

The Consul Generals also highlighted the current and future challenges that individuals, universities, and nations would face in the coming days, but remained resolutely optimistic owing to the resilience of the students and praised UEH for its active contributions to sustainable development. Ambitious offers on collaborative opportunities were brought up, particularly in joint attendance and involvement in Pride Parades, World CleanUp Day, and other charity activities.