Vientiane, Lao PDR - 29 October 2018 First held in 1948 to commemorate the three-year anniversary of the United Nations founding Charter's entry into force, United Nations Day has since been recognised annually on October 24. Taking place within the broader United Nations Week, the occasion is devoted to promoting the aims, values and achievements of the UN.
Lao PDR celebrated the 73 rd anniversary of the UN Charter on October 19. With the theme, "My Choice - Our Future", this year's objective was to promote healthy lifestyles and raise environmental awareness among young people. Over 150 students gathered at Lao Youth Union to participate in the event, which began with a panel discussion on how a clean environment and conscious decisions contribute to a healthy lifestyle. The panel was moderated by Lao Youth Radio and was comprised of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the World Food Programme (WFP), the World Bank, and the Ministry of Health. Following the panel, participants watched and joined in on dance performances by the Lao Youth Union and local dance group Fang Lao.
Following the ceremonies, students were encouraged to collect information and participate in activities to learn more about responsible lifestyles from various UN agencies partaking in the event. Included in these displays, were sexual health and body awareness activities arranged by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), a cooking competition and materials on responsible consumption and healthy nutrition through the World Food Programme (WFP), and interactive games and materials on initiatives, projects and programme s of the United Nations office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS).
As a global project implemented through UNODC, GLO.ACT Lao project staff took part in the UN Day activities, showcasing GLO.ACT's objectives and distributing materials on human trafficking and irregular migration in the region. GLO.ACT echoed the event's theme of promoting responsible lifestyles in Lao youth by providing education materials highlighting the project's prevention approach to countering TIP and SOM.
The Global Action to Prevent and Address Trafficking in Persons and the Smuggling of Migrants (GLO.ACT) is a four-year (2015-2019), €11 million joint initiative by the European Union (EU) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). The project is being implemented in partnership with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). GLO.ACT aims to provide assistance to governmental authorities and civil society organizations across 13 strategically selected countries: Belarus, Brazil, Colombia, Egypt, Kyrgyz Republic, Lao PDR, Mali, Morocco, Nepal, Niger, Pakistan, South Africa, Ukraine. GLO.ACT works with the 13 countries to plan and implement strategic national counter-trafficking and counter-smuggling efforts through a prevention, protection, prosecution, and partnerships approach. It supports the development of more effective responses to trafficking and smuggling, including providing assistance to victims of trafficking and vulnerable migrants through the strengthening of identification, referral, and direct support mechanisms.
More information about GLO.ACT is available here .
For more information, please contact:
Ms. Siliphaithoun Xayamoungkhoun
GLO.ACT National Project Officer
Email: siliphaithoun.xayamoungkhoun@un.org
Website: www.unodc.org/unodc/en/human-trafficking/glo-act/
Email: glo.act@un.org
Twitter: @glo_act