Stories written by Helen Clark

UNDP at 50 Seeks Broad Coalition Targeting Sustainable Development

By Helen Clark
Fifty years ago, one in every three people around the world was living in poverty. It was against that backdrop that the United Nations Development Programme, UNDP, was founded in 1966. Ever since, UNDP has been a leader in working for a more fair and prosperous world for all. We have worked with governments, civil society, the private sector, and philanthropy to empower people and build resilient nations.

OP-ED: The BRICS and the Rising South

By Helen Clark
On Tuesday, leaders of five large emerging economies – Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, known as the BRICS – will gather in Durban, South Africa to discuss harnessing their formidable resources on behalf of faster development progress in Africa and elsewhere.

Orange Shadow Over Olympics

By Helen Clark
Agent Orange (AO), often called the ‘last legacy’ of the United States war in Vietnam (1955-1975), has popped up again thanks to its manufacturer Dow Chemical’s controversial sponsorship of the Olympic Games.

Vietnamese Girls Grapple With Changing Sexual Climate

By Helen Clark
Conservative attitudes toward women die hard in Vietnam, as seen in the country’s worsening sex ratio at birth (SRB). Yet, social mores have relaxed sufficiently for women to tune in to late night TV talk shows to learn about the acceptability of one-night stands.

Trans Community Makes Slow Progress in Vietnam

By Helen Clark
The restaurant Thuy Linh sits by one of Saigon’s black, soupy canals at the edge of District Three. Though operating in an area already full of restaurants and cafes it doesn’t struggle for business.
UNDP Administrator Helen Clark Credit: UN Photo/Jean-Marc Ferré

OP-ED: Putting Resilience at the Heart of Development

By Helen Clark
The world's population today is healthier, wealthier, and better educated than ever before. Yet, despite incredible progress, disconcerting realities stubbornly persist.
Prof Carl Thayer Credit:

Q&A: ‘Ready, Willing and Able’, Vietnam Is Poised for Regional Role

By Helen Clark
Professor Carl Thayer, a Vietnam expert with the Australian Defence Force Academy in Canberra, was in Hanoi last week for a multilateral conference on the issue of the South China Sea.
Xe Om (motorbike taxi) drivers await custom in Hanoi. Credit: Matt Bennett/IPS

VIETNAM: Coping With Skyrocketing Fuel Prices

By Helen Clark
Nguyen Van Minh has just delivered a consignment of apples from China in his modified Hyundai at Long Bien market where, each night, hundreds of trucks pull up laden with fruits and vegetables from distant provinces and neighbouring countries.


english learning book