The head of the Party Central Committee’s Commission for Popularisation and Education Dinh The Huynh has set four major tasks for the external information service next year.

Addressing a national conference on external information service and the dissemination of information on the nation’s seas, islands and border affairs in Hanoi on December 31, the senior official emphasized the importance of the work in 2015 in the context of unpredictable changes in the world situation and the upcoming 12th National Party Congress.

He required all agencies, sectors, organisations and localities to learn from the experience of 2013 to draw out specific plans in this field this year, while enhancing the coordination among all stakeholders to improve the efficiency of the work.

The commission’s head also called for stronger communication campaigns to counter untrue and slanderous information of hostile forces on such issues as national sovereignty, religion, democracy and human rights.

The contents and forms of reporting and communication campaigns should be renewed and diversified to meet the demands of the target audience, he said.

Participants at the conference agreed that the external information service has made good progress during the past year, with information on the situation in the country and the Party’s viewpoints and policies sent to other countries and overseas Vietnamese in a timely manner through many channels and in many languages, helping creating a favourable environment for the country to maintain political stability, promote socio-economic development, firmly safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity and enhance its position in the region and the world.

They, however, pointed to the need to improve mechanisms for information supply and coordination of ministries, sectors and localities.

Many said information in foreign languages remained modest while the content and methods of communication are yet to meet the demand of the target audience.-VNA