Hanoi (VNA) – The Party Central Committee’s Commission for External Relations held a conference in Hanoi on April 12 to launch people-to-people diplomacy tasks for 2022, gathering nearly 200 delegates from the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF), people's organisations, ministries and central agencies.

A report released at the event clarified that during 2021, the VFF, people’s organisations and unions had continued to show a strong performance in people-to-people diplomacy activities with activeness, flexibility, creativity and efficiency.

The efforts had helped to foster and expand Vietnamese people’s friendship with people in other countries, highlighting Vietnam’s responsible involvement in multilateral cooperation activities and contributing to people’s movements in the region and the world, while showing active global integration, mobilising resources for the country’s socio-economic development and COVID-19 fight, protecting national interests, and strengthening connections among Vietnamese people inside and outside the country, the report said.

The management of people-to-people diplomacy activities was in line with regulations, it added.

Addressing the event, Le Hoai Trung, member of the Party Central Committee and head of its Commission for External Relations, hailed the efforts and achievements of forces engaged in people-to-people diplomacy.

In 2022 and the future, complicated changes are forecast in the region and the world, generating difficulties, challenges and opportunities at the same time, he noted, stressing that requirements for people-to-people diplomacy, which are stated in the 13th National Party Congress’ Resolution, are also higher.

Trung asked the VFF and people’s organisations and unions to continue to follow Party policies and directions regarding external relations, while raising awareness of people-to-people diplomacy - one of the three key pillars of the country’s comprehensive diplomatic mission.

At the same time, it is necessary to keep track of people’s diplomatic activities and movements in the region and the world, while enhancing the efficiency of people-to-people diplomacy, contributing to protecting a peaceful and stable environment and mobilising resources for national development and improving the position and reputation of the nation on the global stage, he said.

Trung also requested ministries, sectors and localities to continue to coordinate closely and create favourable conditions for people-to-people diplomacy activities, while focusing on developing human resources for the task.

At the conference, a number of organisations and individuals were honoured with the “For the people-to-people diplomacy cause” insignia./.