The National Conference on Volunteering for Peace and Development tookplace in Hanoi on Dec. 5 in celebration of International VolunteerDay.

Opening the event, the second of its kind inVientam, Phan Van Mai, Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh Communist YouthUnion Central Committee, said during the past decade, Vietnamesevolunteers have contributed significantly to the country’ssocio-economic development and addressed global issues.

Mai’s views were shared by Setsuko Yamazaki, Director of the UNDevelopment Programme in Vietnam , who highlighted the need to completethe legal framework to promote voluntary activities, in an effort tobuild a voluntary society in Vietnam .

NguyenPhi Long, Vice President of the Vietnam Youth Federation, said voluntarycampaigns in Vietnam have attracted a large number of young people,which, he said, increased from 1.6 million people in 2000 to 47 millionin 2011.

The volunteers participated in a widerange of areas, including economic development, poverty reduction,environmental protection, climate change adaptation, culture, education,health care and community development, Long said.

Vietnam commits to supporting and taking an active role in UNvoluntary activities to deal with global matters and enhance exchangebetween Vietnamese youth with their peers in the region and the world.

Vietnam always creates the best conditions andwelcomes international voluntary teams and is ready to send Vietnamesevolunteers to other countries and join hands with internationalvolunteers to improve public awareness of the urgent need to fulfill theMillennium Development Goals.

On the occasion, tenunits and ten individuals with outstanding contributions to voluntaryactivities over the past ten years were also honoured./.