Union to further engage OVs in people-to-people diplomacy

President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee Do Van Chien (second, right) receives donations to the COVID-19 vaccine fund from the Vietnamese community in Canada on December 15 (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi (VNA) – The Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations (VUFO) is set to work harder to increase overseas Vietnamese (OV)’s engagement in people-to-people diplomacy in the time ahead.

So said VUFO President Ambassador Nguyen Phuong Nga at a hybrid conference held in Hanoi on December 27 to disseminate the Politburo’s Conclusion No. 12 on OV affairs.

She said the union is the core force of the people-to-people diplomacy and always views the work on OV affairs as an important task. Given this, it has carried out a number of practical activities to support OVs and encourage them to contribute to the homeland.

Particularly, during the COVID-19 pandemic, VUFO has concurrently assisted the overseas community and called on them to support the pandemic fight in Vietnam.

Nga stated that VUFO will work to increase OVs’ engagement in people-to-people diplomacy, reform mindset and working method, and coordinate closely with central and local agencies and organisations to perform the tasks set in Conclusion No. 12.

Deputy Foreign Minister Pham Quang Hieu, who is also Chairman of the State Committee for OV Affairs, highly valued VUFO’s performance and expressed his hope that it will continue joining hands with the Foreign Ministry and relevant agencies, sectors to meet the aspirations of Vietnamese expatriates and improve the settlement of OV affairs in the new context.

Deputy Foreign Minister Pham Quang Hieu (Photo: VNA)

Highlighting the importance of the Politburo’s Conclusion No. 12, he noted the conclusion aims to reiterate the Party and State’s consistent policy on strengthening the great national unity, in which the OV community is an integral part of the Vietnamese people. It is also meant to gather people from all strata both at home and aboard to strongly bring into play the strength of the entire nation for the development of the country.

The conclusion is expected to help promote the handling of OV affairs more comprehensively and strongly, with a focus on assisting OVs to gain a firm legal status, develop and integrate into the host countries, promote their national pride, and help them make effective contributions to the homeland’s development and defence. It is also a demonstration of the Party and State’s sentiments and sense of responsibility towards the OV community, Hieu added.

Participants in the conference voiced their belief that this conclusion will make fundamental changes to the handling of OV affairs and create conditions for them to become more attached to the homeland and intensify the great national unity./.

VNA