UN GRACE Announces International Essay Writing Competition
UN GRACE Announces International Essay Writing Competition. Photo: RMN News Service
UN GRACE Announces International Essay Writing Competition
The winners from each region will be invited to a youth anti-corruption workshop in Vienna.
The Global Resource for Anti-Corruption Education and Youth Empowerment (GRACE) has announced the International Essay Writing Competition on Integrity, Ethics, and Anti-Corruption, aimed at fostering the power of young minds in exploring innovative solutions to anti-corruption challenges.
This is a call for young people from 18-30 years old interested in anti-corruption to submit an essay on the impact corruption has on you, your family, and/or your community, while also telling what civil society in your country or in your community are doing to prevent and combat corruption.
By participating in the essay competition, you will be among the very first group of young people working to actively implement the recently launched “Roadmap to strengthening the role of nongovernmental actors in the fight against corruption”, presented to the States parties to the UN Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) in December 2023.
The winners from each region will be invited to a youth anti-corruption workshop in Vienna, to meet with other young people from around the world and discuss the role of youth in preventing corruption and to exchange ideas on what we can do to implement the Roadmap.
Candidates are required to write a 3-page essay in English where they express the following:
Context Knowledge: Briefly and concisely, provide an overview of the situation in your country when it comes to corruption and describe what your government, civil society organizations, and / or individuals are doing to address corruption (e.g. is your country a State party to the UNCAC, are there any initiatives by civil society organizations and/or individuals, etc.);
Personal Experience: Describe with your own words how corruption affects you, and/or members of your family and/or your community;
Local Initiative: Based on your own research, describe a concrete activity / initiative of an individual, group or organization that is acting against corruption in your country.
Extra points will be given if you can link this to one of the areas identified in the Roadmap mentioned above (specifically related to e.g. i. empowering victims of corruption; ii. facilitating greater involvement of youth in decision-making processes; iii. mobilizing resources to enhance the role of youth in anti-corruption efforts; iv. raising awareness of corruption in investing in coalition-building, v. supporting research, education and innovation involving young people).
Shortlisted applicants will be contacted to submit a short (2 minutes) video introducing themselves and summarizing the main idea(s) of their essays.
Up to twenty essays will be selected as winning submissions and will receive:
Certificate of achievement;
The opportunity to travel to Vienna in November / December 2024 to participate in a UNODC youth empowerment workshop;
The chance to be published on the GRACE official website.
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) will cover the expenses related to visa, travel to and accommodation in Vienna, according to UN standard rules.
You can email your essays, along with your updated CV to unodc-grace@un.org with the subject line: “International Essay Writing Competition Submission – [Your Full Name]”.
Global Recognition: Your ideas will contribute to the international discourse on anti-corruption efforts.
Networking Opportunities: Connect with like-minded individuals and experts in the field.
Personal and Professional Development: Earn invaluable opportunities to strengthen your educational and professional profile.
All essays must be submitted by 26 August 2024.
Courtesy: UNODC
