Vice President Nguyen Thi Doan has called on the French-speaking community to pay greater attention and increase resources for the protection and promotion of women and youngsters’ engagement in political, economic and social life.
Addressing the 15th Summit of the International Organisation of La Francophonie (IOF) that opened in Dakar, Senegal on November 29, the Vice President shared Vietnam’s experience in strengthening gender equality as well as the great contributions that Vietnamese women and young people have made to the country’s past struggle for independence and current national construction.
She also spoke highly of IOF’s increased attention to strengthening relations with Asia-Pacific countries, vowing that Vietnam will do its utmost to foster ties between the IOF and the ASEAN and Asia-Pacific region as a whole.
She highlighted Vietnam ’s external policy of independence, self-reliance for peace, cooperation and development, and international integration, and emphasised that Vietnam attaches much importance to multilateral foreign activities, including its role as an active member of the UN Human Right Council and its participation for the first time in UN peacekeeping operations.
Vice President Nguyen Thi Doan, the only representative of the Asia-Pacific region at the event, expressed concern about the increasingly complicated political and security situation in the world, with more hot spots, conflicts and rising global challenges such as terrorism, climate change, poverty and pandemics.
She stressed the need for the IOF to enhance solidarity and strengthen joint efforts in order to cope with these common issues.
At the same time, she underlined that all disputes must be, and can be solved through peaceful measures on the basis of dialogue and cooperation.
The Vietnamese leader called on the IOF to continue supporting the stance of the ASEAN and Vietnam on dealing peacefully with conflicts, including the East Sea dispute, on the basis of respect for international law and the United Nations Charter.
Held under the theme “Women and Children in the Francophonie: Peacemakers and Key-Players for Development,” the 15 th IOF Summit gathered 28 presidents, prime ministers and senior leaders of 77 IOF member governments and states, as well as representatives from regional and international organisations, including the UN and the African Union.
The event heard a report on the organisation’s operation by outgoing IOF Secretary-General Abdou Diof, who is the former President of Senegal. The report also gave assessment on the implementation of action plans in politics and diplomacy made during the previous summit in Kinshasa , Congo in 2012, as well as a summary on multilateral cooperation among the community.
During the two-day summit, participants are scheduled to elect a new Secretary-General for the IOF and issue a Dakar joint statement.
In the framework of the event, the Francophonie Village in Daka was held from November 24-30 with nearly 100 booths organised by IOF members. Vietnam also showcased products of the Vietnam Post and Telecommunication Corporation.
A series of workshops were held on November 26-28 to boost collaboration in education and seek ways to help women and children escape violence, as well as to boost sustainable development in the community.
A Francophonie economic forum will also be held on December 1-2 under Senegal’s initiative, which aims to draw measures to make the community a positive factor in global sustainable economic growth.
Currently, the IOF has 57 member countries and territories, and 20 observer members.
The IOF Summit is held every two years, with the first one taking place in 1986 in France. Vietnam hosted the 7 th IOF summit in 1997.-VNA
Addressing the 15th Summit of the International Organisation of La Francophonie (IOF) that opened in Dakar, Senegal on November 29, the Vice President shared Vietnam’s experience in strengthening gender equality as well as the great contributions that Vietnamese women and young people have made to the country’s past struggle for independence and current national construction.
She also spoke highly of IOF’s increased attention to strengthening relations with Asia-Pacific countries, vowing that Vietnam will do its utmost to foster ties between the IOF and the ASEAN and Asia-Pacific region as a whole.
She highlighted Vietnam ’s external policy of independence, self-reliance for peace, cooperation and development, and international integration, and emphasised that Vietnam attaches much importance to multilateral foreign activities, including its role as an active member of the UN Human Right Council and its participation for the first time in UN peacekeeping operations.
Vice President Nguyen Thi Doan, the only representative of the Asia-Pacific region at the event, expressed concern about the increasingly complicated political and security situation in the world, with more hot spots, conflicts and rising global challenges such as terrorism, climate change, poverty and pandemics.
She stressed the need for the IOF to enhance solidarity and strengthen joint efforts in order to cope with these common issues.
At the same time, she underlined that all disputes must be, and can be solved through peaceful measures on the basis of dialogue and cooperation.
The Vietnamese leader called on the IOF to continue supporting the stance of the ASEAN and Vietnam on dealing peacefully with conflicts, including the East Sea dispute, on the basis of respect for international law and the United Nations Charter.
Held under the theme “Women and Children in the Francophonie: Peacemakers and Key-Players for Development,” the 15 th IOF Summit gathered 28 presidents, prime ministers and senior leaders of 77 IOF member governments and states, as well as representatives from regional and international organisations, including the UN and the African Union.
The event heard a report on the organisation’s operation by outgoing IOF Secretary-General Abdou Diof, who is the former President of Senegal. The report also gave assessment on the implementation of action plans in politics and diplomacy made during the previous summit in Kinshasa , Congo in 2012, as well as a summary on multilateral cooperation among the community.
During the two-day summit, participants are scheduled to elect a new Secretary-General for the IOF and issue a Dakar joint statement.
In the framework of the event, the Francophonie Village in Daka was held from November 24-30 with nearly 100 booths organised by IOF members. Vietnam also showcased products of the Vietnam Post and Telecommunication Corporation.
A series of workshops were held on November 26-28 to boost collaboration in education and seek ways to help women and children escape violence, as well as to boost sustainable development in the community.
A Francophonie economic forum will also be held on December 1-2 under Senegal’s initiative, which aims to draw measures to make the community a positive factor in global sustainable economic growth.
Currently, the IOF has 57 member countries and territories, and 20 observer members.
The IOF Summit is held every two years, with the first one taking place in 1986 in France. Vietnam hosted the 7 th IOF summit in 1997.-VNA
