Head of the Party Central Committee's Commission for External Relations underwent working visit at VUSTA

On July 12th, the delegate of the Party Central Committee's Commission for External Relations led by H.E Mr. Le Hoai Trung, member of the Central Committee of the Party, Head of the Committee visited and worked with the Vietnam Union of Science and Technology Associations (VUSTA).

H.E Dr. Phan Xuan Dung, VUSTA President welcoming H.E Mr. Le Hoai Trung

H.E. Dr. Phan Xuan Dung, President of VUSTA, Assoc. Dr. Sc. Pham Quang Thao – Vice President of VUSTA; Mr. Nguyen Quyet Chien – General Secretary of VUSTA and the representatives of VUSTA’s departments and offices welcome the delegation.

Briefing at the meeting, Madam Duong Thi Nga, Director of VUSTA’s International Cooperation Department stressed that as a political-social organization of 2.2 million scientific and technological intellectuals in nationwide apparatus, VUSTA have been able to perform well and better the tasks of people-to-people diplomacy.

Madam Duong Thi Nga, Director of VUSTA International Cooperation Department gave briefing at the meeting

Specifically, VUSTA has implemented well the task of people-to-people diplomacy, taking charge of a responsible member and actively contribute in people-to-people diplomatic activities of Vietnam and multi-lateral mechanisms in the region and all over the world. VUSTA is a member of The ASEAN Federation of Engineering Organizations (AFEO), International Science Council (ISC); having cooperative relation with a number of international organizations, overseas non-government organizations, development cooperation agencies, multinational corporations in Vietnam and many S & T organizations all over the world; deploy various and national-level activities that spread to other organizations in the apparatus.

Moreover, VUSTA has actively deployed a number of activities in order to connect overseas Vietnamese scientific intellectuals with domestic ones through workshops, conferences and interacting with the scientific and technological Vietnamese intellectual community abroad. Vusta’s leaders met and discussed with a lot of foreign Vietnamese intellectual groups in order to share and enhance the cooperation with domestic intellectuals (the graduated group of student in the USA received scholarship conferred by Vietnam Education Foundation (VEF), Vietnamese Student Association in Japan, the Association of Vietnamese Scientists and Experts (AVSE Global), took part in scientific workshops organized by Dr. Tran Thanh Van in International Center for Interdisciplinary Science and Education (ICISE) in Quy Nhon city, these ones thereby help connect with Vietnamese intellectuals living overseas and prestigious foreign scientists, then introduce them to scientific and technological organizations in the apparatus.

The work of research and forecasting has been concentrated on which improve the quality of proposals and consultancy as well as regularly update knowledge and enhance the qualification of the cadres specializing in people-to-people diplomatic activities.

The management, support and guidance of international cooperation activities for member associations and affiliated scientific and technological associations are constantly being improved in quality and efficiency. Vusta has closely cooperated with centrally-run state management agencies at central and local level in training, guiding the implementation, inspecting, approving, supervising the work of receiving and using aids and accepting foreigners to work in affiliated organizations, complying with regulations stipulated by the State and the Party, preventing and minimizing negative impacts on political security, social order and safety.

The work of communication and foreign affairs of Vusta, member unions and affiliated organizations have been paid much attention. Vusta has actively shared and introduced the outcomes of activities which have been done by organizations in the apparatus to foreign partners (through website, newsletters, and various events...). Almost of member associations and affiliated organizations have websites in Vietnamese and English. A number of affiliated scientific and technological organizations use social networks to spread their activities to both domestic and foreign partners.

However, in accordance with Ms. Duong Thi Nga, in addition to achieved outcomes, there remained difficulties, for example, the institutionalization of the Party’s policy on people-to-people diplomacy has not met the requirements of the rapid changing of the State’s foreign affairs. The regulations on people-to-people diplomacy remained cumbersome, especially administrative procedures, and the period of time for processing procedures usually lengthens which sometimes miss the opportunity for cooperation and make foreign partners feel unsatisfactory, which impact negatively the efficiency of people-to-people diplomatic activities.

Almost of organizations affiliated to VUSTA have not had qualified skills in fundraising, setting up and deploying project, seeking partners (around 40 out of 596 organizations). The international cooperation activities of scientific and technological organizations mainly aim at project mobilization, and have not actively exploited, promoted the values of politics, foreign affairs and culture as well as science and technology.

The interest in resources investment has not met the requirements of the diplomatic mission both in terms of specialized staff and operation budget.

Vusta also wishes to receive timely and strategic directions from the Party Central Committee’s Commission for External Relations to issue policies and encourage as well as mobilize the participation and create favorable condition for people’s organizations to actively implement the international cooperation. Manage people-to-people diplomatic activities by laws, minimizing regulations and administrative procedures, enhance self-responsibility of organizations and individuals when they take part in activities of people-to-people diplomacy; regularly inspect, examine and have sanctions to strictly punish violating organizations and individuals.

Continue to take measures in order to clearly decentralize and give authority to the Communist Party affiliated to Vusta to make decision on activities of people-to-people diplomacy which are mainly professional and regular and with legitimate partners in Vietnam or with traditional ones.

In a frank and open atmosphere, the Head of the Party Central Committee’s Commission for External Relations Le Hoai Trung listened and shared ideas with leaders and cadres of Vusta about its activities during the past time; the contributions regrading people-to-people diplomacy in each period have shown that Vusta has been on the right track and brought about practical, comprehensive and timely outcomes.

The Head of the Party Central Committee’s Commission for External Relations Le Hoai Trung gave speech at the meeting

The Head of the Party Central Committee’s Commission for External Relations Le Hoai Trung emphasized that Vusta need to clearly identify the object, study the operation mode as well as make forecasts; differentiate objects in each specific task; solve the core issue by researching and addressing concepts, coordination mechanisms, and measures to enhance the efficiency; think big to achieve great targets, settle difficulties in mechanism, simplify procedures and decentralization...

H.E Dr. Sc. Pham Quang Thao – Vice President of Vusta

Reviewing the development stages of people-to-people diplomatic activities, the Head of the Party Central Committee’s Commission for External Relations Le Hoai Trung highly appreciated the role and activities of Vusta, especially the cause of building and gathering scientific intellectuals. He noted that Vusta has made great strides in terms of political bravery, operational efficiency, organizational network and the workforce to elevate further the reputation for VUSTA.