People-to-people diplomacy enjoys positive changes in 2005
Khoan, who is also Secretary of the Party Central Committee (PCC), made the remark at a conference to review people-to-people foreign policy in 2005 and discuss tasks in 2006, which was held in Ha Noi by the PCC’s Commission for External Affairs.
However, he said, it is necessary to evaluate the results more specifically, especially achievements in external relations during 20 years of renewal, in order to put forth suitable directions of operation for the coming period.
Reports released at the conference show that Vietnamese civic organisations obtained encouraging results in their work last year. Many civic and citizens’ organisations actively participated in civic movements in the world, including the World Social Forum, the Conference against A-H Bombs, and large-scale religious meetings.
Through people-to-people exchange programmes, Viet Nam sent 444 delegations abroad and welcomed 330 foreign delegations in 2005.
The country also received 644 delegations from foreign non-governmental organizations (NGOs). A total of 175 million USD was disbursed for NGO-funded projects last year, up 35 million USD over 2004.
Regarding tasks in 2006, civic organisations were asked to coordinate with relevant agencies closely to devise a plan of action to implement the Resolution of the upcoming 10th National Party Congress, disseminate information about two international conferences on Agent Orange in Viet Nam, and actively participate in activities on the sidelines of the APEC Summit in November.
