LocationsUNDP Pacific Celebrates Graduation of Third Cohort of Student Ambassadors
September 18, 2025
Thirty-six students from across five Pacific countries completed the 2025 UNDP Student Ambassador Programme.
Suva, Fiji – The UN Development Programme (UNDP) Pacific Office in Fiji celebrated a milestone event: the first ever graduation ceremony of its Student Ambassadors in the Pacific, marking the completion of the third cohort under the global initiative to empower young Pacific Islanders as future leaders of sustainable development.
Selected from an initial pool of 86 applicants, 36 students from across five Pacific countries completed the 2025 programme:
• Fiji: 22 (15 female, 7 male)
• Vanuatu: 4 (2 female, 2 male)
• Solomon Islands: 8 (7 female, 1 male)
• Tonga: 1 (female)
• Papua New Guinea: 1 (female)
The UNDP Student Ambassador Programme was launched in 2022 to connect young people with the UN’s mission of advancing the Sustainable Development Goals. Ambassadors dedicate time to raising awareness on campus and in their communities, promoting UNDP’s values, and exploring pathways to careers in international development.
In the Pacific, the programme:
• Creates a platform for youth voices in development.
• Strengthens regional solidarity among Pacific nations.
• Encourages gender-balanced leadership and
• Provides students with professional exposure to the UN system and development careers.
Highlighting the transformative role of youth, UNDP Pacific Office in Fiji Resident Representative, Munkhtuya Altangerel emphasized during the graduation ceremony:
“When youth speak, the world stops and listens. This is why the Student Ambassador Programme is so important — it places young people at the center of what we do, giving them the courage to find their own unique voice and the platform to make a real difference.”
Ms. Altangerel went on to encourage the students to embrace their own journeys:
“Everyone has a unique voice — and your stories matter the most. Don’t try to emulate someone else. Be yourselves, because it is your authenticity that makes the real difference.”
Speaking on behalf of the students, Jacky Garae from Vanuatu, a Bachelor of Science student in Environmental Biology at the University of the South Pacific, said, “without doubt, this has been one of the most transformative chapters in my life.”
For many graduates, the programme has been a defining moment in their academic and professional journey.
UNDP Pacific Office in Fiji Resident Representative, Munkhtuya Altangerel addresses graduates.
Jacky Garae, student ambassador from Vanuatu and a Bachelor of Science student in Environmental Biology at the University of the South Pacific in Fiji.
“This journey has shaped me. It has strengthened my leadership and communication skills, and it has helped me discover my own potential. Being a UNDP student Ambassador has made me more hopeful, more resilient and more committed than ever to building a better world”, Mr Garae said.
This year’s cohort received exclusive access to the first-ever Inter-Agency Career Week, held 16–20 June 2025. Organized by 21 UN entities - including UNDP, UN Women, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, World Health Organisation and UNICEF, the week-long virtual event provided Ambassadors with rare opportunities for networking, mentoring, and career insight typically reserved for UN personnel.
Globally, the UNDP Student Ambassador Programme was created to promote awareness of UNDP’s work, inspire careers in international development, and build a worldwide network of youth leaders committed to the SDGs.
In the Pacific, our ambassadors have shown how local perspectives can influence global change. From leading campus events and community workshops to amplifying development issues online, their contributions reflect a growing youth movement dedicated to resilience, inclusivity, and sustainability.
The programme has already nurtured a growing alumni network of Pacific youth leaders ready to champion solutions to today’s challenges.
The UNDP Pacific Office will soon be calling for expressions of interest for students wishing to be part of Cohort 4 of the Student Ambassador Programme, which will commence in January 2026.
For more information please contact:
Risiate Biudole, Communications Analyst, UNDP Pacific Office in Fiji, risiate.biudole@undp.org
Related
content
content
