(VUFO) In two days from May 21st-22nd, the Vietnam Peace and Development Foundation (VPDF), Germany’s Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung and the Quang Tri People's Committee held a workshop entitled "People's Solidarity for Peace - Security and Sustainable Development".

Attending the workshop were former State President and VPDF Chairwoman, Ms. Nguyen Thi Binh; Bui Khac Son, Vice President of Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations (VUFO); Lilian Danso Dahmen, Director of Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung's South East Asia office; more than 20 delegates from the peace councils, committee; international organisations and activists, peace and security experts from Asia and Europe.

On the Quang Tri Province there were Nguyen Duc Chinh, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee; Nguyen Duc Dung, Deputy Minister of Culture and Information, Standing Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Council; Nguyen Dang Quang, Chairman of provincial Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee.

Speaking at the seminar, VUFO Vice President Bui Khac Son emphasised that the workshop in order to discuss the role of public solidarity in boosting peace, security and sustainable development.

“Together with the world's progressive people, we review the meaning, as well as discuss strategies and measures to promote the international solidarity together. It is an opportunity for world peace movements to connect and work together for a common goal, for peace - security and sustainable development.”

Son hopes that the VPDF and Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung will continue to contribute to enhancing the friendship and cooperation of the Vietnamese people with other peoples around the world; contribute to the world's movement of people for progress, social justice and sustainable development.

In a keynote message, former State President and VPDF Chairwoman, Mme. Nguyen Thi Binh said in today’s times, peace did not merely mean the absence of war but also included development.

Mme. Binh, who is also the chairwoman of the Vietnam Peace and Development Foundation, underlined that people across the world needed peace for development, liberty and happy life.

She also recalled peace and solidarity movements’ significance in the fight for liberty, independence and development of Vietnam.

However, as wars continue in many regions of the world, participants at the workshop called for stronger cooperation among organisations working for peace.

“It is hard to have solidarity in the context of extreme nationalism and pragmatism seen around the world,” said Pham Van Chuong, VPDF Deputy Chairman.

He urged activists the world over to work harder for peace.

Liliane Danso Dahmen, director of Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung’s South East Asia office, said people in the world needed to fight and stand together for peace and to support struggles for independence and social justice.

“International solidarity for peace is the foundation to ultimately build an equal and civilised world for all,” she said.

Delegates pose for a group photo.

Participants in the workshop focused on issues such as identifying people's unity for peace-security and sustainable development; international solidarity; the peace and solidarity movements in Vietnam and its close ties with the international peace and solidarity movements; solutions and actions to enhance the solidarity of the international people; the idea of ​​annual "Vietnam Peace Day" in Quang Tri province, etc.

Delegates also discussed the war on terrorism; extremism and terrorism; nuclear weapons; victims of chemical weapons; peace promotion through a multi-stakeholder approach; Asian hot spots; liberation and territorial disputes; the East Sea dispute; Agent Orange/Dioxin after the war; the need to unite the people of different nations to prevent conflicts and war and Issues related to people's unity for peace - security and sustainable development, etc.

AN ANNUAL VIETNAM PEACE DAY

Speaking at the seminar on the idea of ​​annually organising the "Vietnam Peace Day" in Quang Tri Province, Nguyen Duc Chinh, Chairman of the provincial People's Committee emphasised that the initiative originated from Mme. Nguyen Thi Binh, VPDF Chairwoman.

She, also former head of of the Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South Vietnam, proposed to take January 27th - The Paris Peace Accords, officially titled the Agreement on Ending the War and Restoring Peace in Vietnam signed on January 27th, 1973, as the International Day for Peace and Solidarity in Vietnam. A number of prominent scholars, researchers and social activists in and outside the country have expressed their interest and expressed their support for this idea.

Quang Tri province has discussed and found that taking January 27th as "Vietnam Peace Day", building Quang Tri Town into a peaceful city is a highly feasible idea with practical meaning and deep humanity. First and foremost, the annual "Vietnam Day of Peace" was chosen as the day marking the successful conclusion of the longest and most difficult diplomatic struggle in the history of Vietnamese diplomacy in the twentieth century. It marked the historic victory of the Vietnamese people after 19 years of unyielding struggle on the political, military and diplomatic fronts between Vietnam and the United States, creating the premise for the Great Victory of 1975 Spring, the liberation of the South and national unification.

The Paris Agreement also has international significance as it paves the way for the people of Laos and Cambodia to successfully complete the cause of national liberation, opening a new chapter in the history of development in Southeast Asia. The Paris Agreement signed on January 27th, 1973 was also the result of the struggle of the people of the world for peace, justice and the consolidation of the faith of the people of the oppressed peoples in the cause of the struggle for peace and national independence, etc.

On May 20th, the international delegates visited National Highway 9 Cemetery to pay tribute to Vietnamese martyrs. (Photos: Tran Phuong)

In the historical monument system in the province, Quang Tri Citadel has a very special position associated with the signing of the Paris Agreement on Vietnam. After the war, the province has planned and built Quang Tri urban area in the direction of expanding the scale north of Thach Han to meet the requirements of the development, while preserving and embellishing the artifacts. The location is directly related to the 81-day fight in the summer of 1972. Many relics and clusters of war in Quang Tri town have become places to visit and recall the memories of war and the aspirations of peace. A large number of domestic and international tourists  visited this place each year.

In the urban system of Vietnam, Quang Tri is the most appropriate location to be chosen as the focus of annual Vietnam Peace Day and the construction of Quang Tri town to become a symbol of peace. According to the draft plan, the main activities of the annual International Day of Peace and Solidarity will be held in Quang Tri and additional activities will be held in other cities such as Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, etc.

The main activities include the organisation of memorial services, festivals, cultural exchanges, arts, exhibitions and peace education activities. Every two years or five years, international festivals and friendship exchanges with cities around the world sufferd from war, global international peace organisations, peace organisations./.

VNF