People's foreign affairs have always been of interest to our Party and State at every stage of the revolution. In the past, during the resistance wars to protect the country, people's foreign affairs won the support of peace-loving people around the world, opposed the war in Vietnam, and sought material and spiritual assistance to strengthen our just struggle. After reunification, the country's strategic tasks changed, but the importance of the position and role of people's foreign affairs was still affirmed by the Party and State, leading and directing the implementation of tasks in a positive manner. Most recently, at the 13th National Congress of the Party, people's foreign affairs continued to be valued and affirmed: People's foreign affairs is one of the three pillars including: Party foreign affairs, state diplomacy and people's foreign affairs.
In Nghe An, the Provincial Union of Friendship Organizations was established on July 18, 1988 (at that time it was the Nghe Tinh Provincial Union of Friendship Organizations). During its operation, the Provincial Union of Friendship Organizations has always closely followed the Party and State's foreign policies and guidelines and based on the local practical situation to carry out its tasks and achieved many positive results.
Through 5 Congress terms, the Nghe An Provincial Union of Friendship Organizations has promoted its role and responsibility in each historical period. In particular, in the most recent Congress term, the 5th term (2019 - 2024), the Union issued a Resolution, identifying the key task as focusing on implementing 5 areas covering people's foreign affairs activities, namely: foreign information; friendly exchange; expanding international relations; exploiting resources; and consolidating and developing the association organization.
Accordingly, the Nghe An Provincial Union of Friendship Organizations has coordinated with the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations and its member associations at the Central level to continuously consolidate and expand international relations and deepen them. Up to now, the Union has had relations at the central level with 30 countries, 43 provinces and cities. In the period of 2012 - 2017 alone, the Union has focused on relations and partnerships with 24 countries, 20 provinces and cities, 20 non-governmental organizations and contributed to expanding development in a number of new areas.
Over the years, the Union and its member associations have organized practical solidarity and friendship activities on the occasion of holidays and New Year holidays of other countries; organized meetings and exchanges with international organizations and foreign enterprises operating in the province. The Union has coordinated to organize various activities such as: cultural, artistic, sports, culinary exchanges, organizing film screenings to introduce people and relations between Vietnam and other countries; organizing exhibitions and talks on relations between Nghe An and other countries and localities; coordinating with universities and colleges with Lao and Thai students studying to organize friendship exchange programs at home (homestay). In the past 5 years, nearly 800 students have been brought back to exchange friendship with 220 families in Nghe An.
In the economic field, people-to-people diplomacy activities have contributed to promoting and publicizing the image, potential and advantages of Nghe An province to foreign investors. The partners that the Union targets are foreign businessmen, through members, bilateral associations, international organizations and ODA sources.
In 2022, Nghe An ranked 10th out of 63 provinces and cities in attracting foreign investment capital. In the first 6 months of 2023, Nghe An has newly granted and adjusted 13 projects, with a total investment capital of 725 million USD, rising 2 places, ranking 8th out of 63 provinces and cities attracting the most FDI in Vietnam; leading in 14 provinces and cities in the North Central and Central Coast regions. With competitive advantages in terms of geographical location, land, human resources; plus the drastic participation of the entire political system, Nghe An Province has fully prepared in all aspects to be ready to attract FDI investors. In this common effort of the whole province, there are contributions from the Union of Friendship Organizations, from people-to-people diplomacy activities with international friends.
Currently, the Nghe An community has about 56,000 people living, working and studying abroad. Through people-to-people diplomacy activities, the Union regularly maintains close contact with Nghe An Associations abroad, enhances information exchange, connections, and mobilizes overseas Vietnamese to return to their homeland; acts as a bridge for friendship and investment cooperation between Nghe An people and people of host countries, and mobilizes foreign enterprises to explore investment cooperation opportunities in various fields in the province. In the province, there are dozens of projects invested by Nghe An enterprises abroad with a total registered capital of nearly 7,000 billion VND. Annual remittances are about 500 million USD/year.
Through people-to-people diplomacy, there have been positive changes in the fields of education, health care, cultural activities, promoting cultural values, and the image of Nghe An people to international friends. The effectiveness of people-to-people diplomacy also lies in helping the management of land borders and islands to continue to be effectively implemented, ensuring security, order, and social safety.
Through practical activities, the Union and its member organizations have increasingly accumulated good experiences, created many good models, and achieved many outstanding achievements. One of them is the publication of the historical documentary photo book "Ho Chi Minh - Symbol of peace and friendship between Vietnam and the world" collected and compiled by the Union in cooperation with the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics, with the Preface written by General Secretary and President Nguyen Phu Trong. The book was awarded the National B Prize in 2021 by the National Book Award Council.
Information and propaganda work has been promoted, promptly reflecting the activities of member organizations on the General Information Website (lhhnna.org.vn) in 10 languages to honor President Ho Chi Minh, the image of the country, culture, and people of Vietnam in general, and Nghe An in particular, to international friends, aiming to create a strong change in the awareness of all levels, sectors and the whole society about the position, role and importance of people-to-people diplomacy in the new situation.
The above achievements have been partly contributed by the active and dedicated efforts of generations of the Executive Committee, the Standing Committee of the Union and member organizations over the years, contributing to the socio-economic development and the common people's foreign affairs of the province. The effectiveness of the activities of the Union of Friendship Organizations of Nghe An province has been recognized and appreciated by the Party Committee, government, people and international friends.
It can be affirmed that the Union of Friendship Organizations of Nghe An province has grown quite comprehensively: From developing member organizations to improving the quality of work, especially improving operational efficiency, actively contributing to the implementation of local political tasks.
In the coming time, the Provincial Union of Friendship Organizations will focus on doing well the following key tasks: Continuing to innovate working methods; selecting appropriate content according to the Party and State's foreign policy and guidelines; meeting the requirements of implementing important tasks of the province, etc. In particular, the Union will prioritize the following aspects of work: Strengthening solidarity and friendship with people of other countries; promoting exchange activities with foreigners who are doing business, living, working and studying in the area; enhancing promotional activities about Nghe An and Nghe An culture; actively contributing to attracting foreign investment in the area; seeking support from international organizations in humanitarian activities, implementing social security goals and participating in international projects to solve global issues such as: Disease prevention and control, climate change response, environmental protection, etc.
With the tradition of solidarity, dynamism and creativity of the Union over the past 35 years, along with the attention and direction of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations, the Provincial Party Committee, the People's Council, the People's Committee, the Provincial Fatherland Front Committee, the close coordination and active participation of all levels, sectors, organizations and the whole society, we believe that the people's foreign affairs work chaired by the Union will continue to develop more strongly and effectively, worthy of being the core force in people's foreign affairs work, contributing to the socio-economic development and international integration of the province.
