International Day of Play celebrated by UN for first time under Vietnam's initiative

The official celebration held at the UN headquarters were joined by the wife of the President of El Salvador; the executive director and Goodwill Ambassador of the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF); the director of the UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in New York; ambassadors; heads of delegations of member countries of the Core Group; representatives of delegations of UN member countries; alongside representatives of a number of relevant international organisations; and a large number of children from many countries and continents globally.

The high-level debate was held within the framework of the celebration, with delegates highly appreciating the very practical initiatives launched by the nation and the Core Group countries, affirming the important role of play in terms of children's development, as well as the social progress made around the world.

They emphasised that play helps to nurture creativity; develop learning and problem-solving abilities; promotes empathy, co-operation, and conflict resolution; thus enabling children to become good citizens.

Furthermore, play is widely viewed as a universal language, transcending cultural and socio-economic boundaries and providing a common platform for children across the globe to interact, explore their environment, and gain a deeper understanding about the world around them.

Scholars and experts have therefore called on the international community and countries to invest and pay closer attention to this field with specific policies and programmes so that children everywhere and in all circumstances can play, grow, and inspire positive change in society and across the wider world.

As part of this occasion, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Minh Vu and Ambassador Dang Hoang Giang, Vietnam’s Permanent Representative to the UN, joined play-based learning activities of the event "Early learning through play" as special guests with preschoolers from the UN International School (UNIS) in New York.

On the sidelines of activities commemorating the International Day of Play, the regional president of the LEGO Group for the Americas commended the Vietnamese role in advocating the UN resolution, expressing his hope for continued collaboration to spread the importance of play for children worldwide.

The Lego representative also hailed the nation’s co-operation and support for the Lego factory in the Southern province of Binh Duong in the hope that it will come into operation soon.

The UN General Assembly on March 25 passed a draft resolution proposed by Vietnam and the five other core group countries, including Bulgaria, El Salvador, Jamaica, Kenya, and Luxembourg, designating June 11 as International Day of Play.

The resolution was co-sponsored by 138 countries, with Vietnam, Bulgaria, El Salvador, Jamaica, Kenya, and Luxembourg as co-authors. Representatives from UNICEF and UNESCO applauded the initiative and pledged to facilitate the observance.