Vietnam will host the United Nations Day of Vesak Celebrations in 2019 and an international Buddhism conference in the northern province of Ha Nam from May 12-14 next year.

Vietnam will host the United Nations Day of Vesak Celebrations in 2019 from May 12-14 next year. (Photo: VNA)

At a press conference held in Hanoi on October 11, President of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha (VBS), Most Venerable Thich Thien Nhon said that this is an important event which will help to enhance the VBS’ role in international integration and affirm Vietnam’s responsibilities in the United Nations.

This will be the third time Vietnam hosts the Vesak Celebrations, he said, adding that the previous events, organised in Hanoi (2008) and Ninh Binh province (2014), left lasting impressions on the attending international friends.

Themed “Buddhism’s approach to global leadership and sharing responsibility for a sustainable society”, the Vesak Celebrations and international conference will welcome around 10,000 participants, including 1,500 dignitaries, leaders of Buddhist sects, and scholars and researchers from 100 countries and territories worldwide.

They will get together to discuss global peace, stability, and the impact of the Fourth Industrial Revolution on the Buddhist population.

The first preparatory meeting is underway in Hanoi on October 11-12, with the attendance of more than 150 representatives from Cambodia, China, France, Hungary, India, Japan, Malaysia, Myanmar, Norway, the Republic of Korea, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and the U.S.

Most Venerable Phra Brahmapundit, President of the International Council for the Day of Vesak (ICDV), said that the council will support Vietnam to organise a successful event.

In 1999, the U.N. General Assembly adopted a resolution in which it recognised the Day of Vesak, the Day of the Full Moon, to acknowledge the contributions that Buddhism, one of the oldest religions in the world, has made for over two and a half millennia and continues to make to the spirituality of humanity.

In Vietnam, throughout thousands of years of its history, Buddhism has been closely linked with national construction and defense. Its lofty values and fundamental principles have been deeply integrated into the everyday lives of Vietnamese people.

Buddhism co-exists in harmony with other religions in Vietnam and has made significant contributions to peace, stability and development of our country and the well-being of our people./.

VNF/VNA