Youth Digital Citizen Challenge 2021 contest launched

UNDP Deputy Resident Representative  Diana Torres speaks at the event.(Photo courtesy of the UNDP)

Speaking at the launching ceremony, UNDP Deputy Resident Representative  Diana Torres said Vietnam has risen from 99th place to 86th place among 193 nations in the E-Government Development Index ( EGDI) of the United Nations, from 2014 to 2020, which reflected the country's efforts in digital transformation.

She said, however, to achieve the ambitious goals set in the National Digital Transformation Programme until 2025 to become one of the top 70 nations in the EGDI, Vietnam will need to work harder to ensure that all citizens engage in digital transformation and effectively use its achievements. 

The UNDP is committed to supporting an inclusive and people-centered digital journey, she said, adding that the youth of Vietnam have the skills, knowledge, innovation, and devotion to support local governments in this process, helping the country to achieve its targets and the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.

Tran Quang Hung, Deputy Secretary of the Hanoi Youth Union, said with energy, commitment, and innovative ideas, young people are major drivers of change to create solutions that will accelerate the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.

However, the participation of the youth in governance is still low. 

“They need support, capacity building, and more space to utilise their strength to actively participate in governance activities. This is the motivation for the Hanoi Youth Union to collaborate with the UNDP to organise this competition,” he said.

According to the Ministry of Home Affairs, Vietnam has 23.3 million young people (in 2018), equal to 24.8 percent of the population. To tap into the innovative potential of young people and the power of technology, the competition encourages young people to “Create a solution package, including a technology product or service, or a communication strategy to boost the quality of e-public services in Hanoi”. 

All participants including students, programmers, designers, entrepreneurs aged from 18 to 30 years old are welcome to join the competition.

The registration and first round will be held online from July 15 to August 10. Ten teams with the best ideas will be selected to participate in a two-day bootcamp from August 18-19 with experts from UNDP, the Hanoi Youth Union, government bodies, and some of the best companies in Vietnam to develop the teams’ ideas.

Three winning teams will have the chance to earn rewards worth a total 70 million VND (3,040 USD), coworking space packages from The HUB Global, and other grand prizes from sponsors and partners./.

VNA