NEWS

On December 15, 2025, HSU Cherry (College of Asia Pacific Studies, 2nd year, Myanmar) received Third Place in the Digital Art Category of the Youth Multimedia Arts Competition, held to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Treaty on the South-East Asia Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone (SEANWFZ), also known as the Bangkok Treaty.

The commemorative events, including this competition, were co‑organized by the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA), the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Asia and the Pacific (UNRCPD), and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand. The three‑day program took place in Bangkok from December 15 to 17, bringing together government officials, diplomats, researchers, international and regional organizations, and youth representatives. Participants reflected on three decades of regional commitment to maintaining a nuclear‑weapon‑free Southeast Asia and engaged in workshops and dialogues to strengthen youth participation in disarmament efforts.

At the center of the program was the Youth Multimedia Arts Competition, where young creators from across the ASEAN region presented works expressing their vision for a world free from nuclear weapons, through mediums such as photography, digital art, and animation.

For her artwork, Ms. HSU combined a photograph of an old tree trunk taken at Ozu Castle in Japan with imagery of Padauk flowers—the national flower of Myanmar—and birds. She selected yellow as the main color, noting that it symbolizes happiness in many cultures and is also the natural color of the Padauk. In her piece, yellow represents hope and renewal. The judges praised her work for its symbolic expression of peace and coexistence through the thoughtful integration of natural elements.

Comment from Ms. HSU Cherry:

The three days were a transforming experience for me with training from UN staffs and professionals. My favorite part was learning about nuclear energy in the medical field. When we talk about anything concerning nuclear, it seems very far away from the lives of normal citizens. It sounds like something we learnt in our history book. But the reality is among us. While we remember the history and the importance of disarmament, we also should look at what can be a good use of nuclear energy.