Nguyen Phuong Nga, president of the Viet Nam Union of Friendship Organizations spoke at the 22nd World Peace Council Assembly, 2022.

President of the Viet Nam Union of Friendship Organizations, former Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the United Nations, Ambassador Nguyen Phuong Nga shared about the importance of people-to-people diplomacy to the development of Vietnam.

Building a favorable social platform for cooperation

Implementing the Resolution of the 13th Party Congress, how has the Viet Nam Union of Friendship Organizations promoted its core role in people-to-people diplomacy, contributing to the synergy of modern and comprehensive diplomacy?

Ambassador Nguyen Phuong Nga:

Over the past two years, together with Party and State diplomacy, people-to-people diplomacy helped us implement the foreign policy set out by the 13th Party Congress.

It strived to promote the pioneering role of foreign affairs in creating and maintaining a peaceful and stable environment, mobilizing external resources for national development. It also helped to enhance the prestige and international position of Vietnam, ensuring the highest interests of the nation.

As the core force in people-to-people diplomacy, the Viet Nam Union of Friendship Organizations grasped the spirit of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong at the First National Conference on Foreign Affairs on December 14, 2021.

They are about "Building and developing a modern Vietnamese foreign policy and diplomacy imbued with national identity - Vietnamese Bamboo diplomacy," "strong roots, firm trunk, flexible branches," and Directive 12-CT/TW dated January 5, 2022, of the Secretariat on strengthening the leadership of the Party and improving the effectiveness of people-to-people diplomacy in the new situation.

It clearly states the task of "Focusing on understanding and creating profound awareness about the role, position, and importance of people-to-people diplomacy, one of the three pillars of foreign policy, creating the synergy of comprehensive and modern diplomacy".

Despite the Covid-19 pandemic, and unprecedented complex and profound changes in the world, the Viet Nam Union of Friendship Organizations promoted the strength of the whole system.

The Union adhered to the motto "proactive, flexible, creative, effective," strongly innovated the content and mode of operation, and achieved positive results in people-to-people diplomacy.

The Viet Nam Union of Friendship Organizations launched a donation to prevent and control the Covid-19 pandemic, in 2021.

Firstly, the Union strived to build a positive and favorable social platform, contributing to consolidating and deepening friendship, promoting cooperation with the peoples of neighboring countries, and important partners, and expanding relationships with new partners.

The Viet Nam Union of Friendship Organizations successfully organized a number of important foreign affairs activities, leaving a strong impression, such as the 22nd World Peace Council Assembly (November 2022) with the participation of 200 delegates, including more than 100 international delegates from 49 countries around the world, the activities to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Paris Peace Accords (January 1, 2023), with the participation of historical witnesses and international friends, who supported Vietnam in the negotiation process.

Other activities include a series of people-to-people diplomacy activities at all levels with Laos and Cambodia, celebrating the Vietnam-Laos Solidarity and Friendship Year (celebrating the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations, the 45th anniversary of the signing of the Vietnam-Laos Treaty of Amity and Cooperation), and Vietnam-Cambodia Friendship Year (the 55th anniversary of the diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Cambodia).

The Union coordinated with partners from Russia, China, India, Cuba, Brazil, Algeria, Italy, Belarus, and Azerbaijan to organize activities to honor and spread the ideological values, morality, and style of President Ho Chi Minh.

Left photo: President Nguyen Phuong Nga speaks at the 22nd World Peace Council Assembly, 2022. Right photo: Opening of the 22nd World Peace Council Assembly, 2022.

One of the highlights is that the Viet Nam Union of Friendship Organizations participated in organizing people-to-people diplomacy activities to enrich the content of high-level activities. These activities include General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong's visit to China (2022), President Nguyen Xuan Phuc's visit to Singapore and Cambodia, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh's visit to Cambodia (2022), National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue's visit to Cuba, Argentina, and Uruguay (2023), Cuban Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz's visit to Vietnam (2022), Chairman of the National Assembly of Mozambique's visit to Vietnam (2022), and Chairman of the United Russia Party's visit to Vietnam (2023).

Photo 1: Viet Nam Union of Friendship Organizations meets Chairman of the United Russia Party (URP) and Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of Russia Dmitry Medvedev, 2023. Photo 2: Leaders of the Viet Nam Union of Friendship Organizations and the Vietnam-Cuba Friendship Association have a meeting with Cuban Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz, 2022. Photo 3: Celebrating the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and the RoK, 2022. Photo 4: Signing ceremony of Memorandum of Understanding between Viet Nam Union of Friendship Organizations and partners in Uzbekistan, 2021.

The Union and its member organizations organized hundreds of peace, solidarity and friendship activities with profound contents and forms, on people's channels at both national and local levels.

They coordinated with embassies and partners of other countries to organize activities to celebrate the establishment of diplomatic relations, national days, and major holidays of Vietnam and other countries such as India, Russia, the RoK, Japan, France, UK, Austria, Switzerland, Chile, and many other countries with diverse forms such as meetings, talks, cultural exchanges, exhibitions, film screenings, and art performances.

They also organized many international friendship exchange activities.

International Yoga Day has been held in many localities such as Tuyen Quang, Lao Cai, Da Nang, Quang Tri, Ha Tinh, Dong Nai, Can Tho, Binh Duong, Hanoi, Hai Phong, Vinh Phuc, Ho Chi Minh City, Ba Ria-Vung Tau, and Dong Thap.

Vietnm also signed agreements with Chinese and Singaporean partners, organized many activities to support the Cuban people, strengthen relations with partners in China, Russia, USA, UK, Germany, Argentina and many other countries.

Meeting with historical witnesses to the 1973 Paris Peace Accords, January 2023.

Participating in the prevention and control of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Union mobilized 115 foreign NGOs to support the Vietnamese people with goods, essential necessities, medical equipment and cash.

The Union supported the training of methods and skills to prevent the pandemic with a total value of more than US$6.5 million.

The Friendship Union and its member organizations implemented the initiative "People-to-people diplomacy to support international friends in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic, promoting the image of Vietnam to the world".

They mobilized members and benefactors to donate and promptly sent millions of masks, thousands of medical equipment, and cash, with a total value of more than VND10 billion (US$424 thousand) to support countries fighting the pandemic.

That shows the tradition of loyalty, gratitude, and willingness to share and help friends in difficult times of our nation.

Second, people-to-people diplomacy helped mobilize external resources for national construction and development.

The Viet Nam Union of Friendship Organizations well performed the task of standing agency for the Committee for Foreign Non-governmental Organization Affairs.

The Union participated in the development, and implementation of new regulations on the registration and operation management of foreign non-governmental organizations in Vietnam.

In the context of increasingly limited foreign aid resources, the Union made efforts to innovate methods of mobilizing and supporting activities of foreign NGOs.

Photo 1: Workshop to assess the situation of the world and the region in 2021. Photo 2: Conference to study and implement the Resolution of the XIII Party Congress, 2021. Photo 3: Webinar between Viet Nam Union of Friendship Organizations and Eurasian Peoples' Assembly, 2021. Photo 4: Friendship exchange in spring 2023 in Lao Cai.

Up to now, there are more than 340 NGOs operating regularly in Vietnam with the average value of foreign non-governmental aid disbursed in the past 2 years reaching over US$230 million/year.

It contributes to hunger eradication and poverty alleviation, overcoming the consequences of wars, and natural disasters, solving social problems, strengthening human resources and international integration of Vietnam.

To serve the implementation of sustainable development goals, the Union participated in activities to enhance cooperation with African countries, and cooperated with Da Nang City People's Committee to organize international seminars on smart cities and innovative start-ups, with the participation of international delegates.

Third, the Union participated in regional and international multilateral people's forums, especially the ASEAN People's Forum (APF), the Asia-Europe People's Forum (AEPF), the World Peace Council, mechanisms of the United Nations and ASEAN (United Nations Economic and Social Council - UN ECOSOC, and ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights - AICHR), promoting and protecting national interests.

Fourth, the Union renewed its information work on foreign affairs, research and consultation.

The Union increased information about Vietnam to international friends by sending E-Newsletter on a weekly basis, publishing information on the Vietnam Times in 5 different languages, publishing on the website of the Union, the Vietnam Peace and Development Fund, and magazines such as Bach Duong, Viet-My.

Newsletters of member organizations also vividly reflected on Vietnam to international friends.

Visiting Museum of Victory of Road 9-Khe Sanh within the framework of the 5th Vietnam-Laos People's Friendship Festival, 2022.

The 5th Vietnam-Cambodia people's friendship and cooperation meeting in 2022.

The Viet Nam Union of Friendship Organizations, the Vietnam Peace and Development Fund, and the Research Center of the Vietnam-USA Society held talks and exchanges, to share information and assess the international situation, thoroughly grasp the guidelines, and propose measures to serve the implementation of Vietnam's foreign policy.

Fifth, the Union strengthened and built a strong organization, enhancing the connection between the central government and the locality.

They successfully organized the First National Conference on Foreign Affairs in 2022 in Cao Bang, and established three new friendship organizations with Morocco, Nepal, and Austria, and many friendship associations in localities.

The activities of the member organizations in the locality prospered, and changed in quality, promoting the spirit of initiative and creativity, and raising the position of the member organizations in the locality.

With positive and comprehensive results over the past two years, the Friendship Union has shown its role as a core force.

They and other forces in the pillar of people-to-people diplomacy coordinated and effectively supported Party and State diplomacy to create the synergy of foreign affairs in implementing the Party's foreign policy.

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