(VOVworld) – A Global Youth Forum opened in New York on Friday. 60 students attended the forum, including 3 Vietnamese who won the “Many Languages, One World” Student Essay Contest.

Tu Minh Ngoc, one of three oversea Vietnamese students, won the UN’s international essay contest. (Photo: Hoang Minh Nga/ VNA)

In front of the UN General Assembly, students delivered their opinions about the importance of language proficiency in achieving sustainable development goals by 2030. 2016 marks the third year of the Many Languages, One World Student Essay Contest and Global Youth Forum, sponsored by ELS Educational Services, in conjunction with the UN Department of Information. This year’s contest requests students from 18 and beyond worldwide to write entries of up to 2,000 words in length discussing citizen rights, cultural knowledge, and the importance of understanding many languages. The contest received over 3,600 entries. The organizing board has selected 60 students from 36 countries and 54 universities as winners of the 2016 Many Languages, One World international essay contest.