IOM to help Vietnam with family reunions

$0The freshly-signed cooperation agreement between Vietnam and theInternational Organisation for Migration (IOM) will usher in a newchapter in bilateral relations, said the Prime Minister. $0$0PM Nguyen Tan Dung made the remark while receiving the IOM DirectorGeneral, William Lacy Swing, in the capital city of Hanoi on August19. $0$0The PM praised the positive cooperation andassistance the IOM has extended to Vietnam in recent years, sayingthat Vietnam always considers the IOM a dynamic partner when dealingwith migration-related issues. $0$0He told his guestthat approximately 3.5 million overseas Vietnamese are residing in morethan 100 countries and territories throughout the world, and that manyof them had been separated from their families due to war but now havelegitimate aspirations to be reunited with their families. $0$0PM Dung requested the IOM to help separated Vietnamese people be ableto return to their homeland, or other countries for family reunions,stressing that these are extremely humanitarian actions. $0$0The leader proposed the IOM help Vietnam to boost its labour exports,citing the fact that just over half a million Vietnamese workers havegone overseas, a small number compared with the nation’s population of87 million and abundant young workforce. $0$0The movewould be a practical step to balance labour demands and bring a benefitto both Vietnam and other nations, he added. $0$0PMDung also called on the IOM to work closer with Vietnam in the fightagainst human trafficking and back the country’s efforts to implementthe “One United Nations” Initiative. $0$0Lacy Swing said that the IOM will do its utmost to put the Vietnamese PM’s proposals into action. $0$0He added that the IOM is also willing to provide Vietnam with its newmigration service when the country needs it, and work with the countryto evacuate Vietnamese people from areas affected by conflicts andnatural disasters across the globe./.$0