Minister of Ethnic Minorities and Religious Affairs Dao Ngoc Dung emphasized this content at the meeting on March 13 with the Department of International Cooperation on task deployment for 2026. The meeting was attended by Deputy Minister Y Thong and leaders of a number of departments and affiliated units.
Reporting at the meeting, the leader of the International Cooperation Department said that in the past time, the Ministry of Ethnic Minorities and Religious Affairs has maintained many cooperation activities with international organizations, the United Nations development agency and multilateral partners.
Activities focus on hunger eradication and poverty reduction, sustainable livelihood development, cultural preservation and promotion of gender equality.
Delegates discussed and proposed many solutions to improve the effectiveness of international cooperation in 2026. The key requirement is to build a long-term international cooperation strategy in the field of ethnicity and religion.
Concluding, Minister Dao Ngoc Dung highly appreciated the efforts of the Department of International Cooperation in gradually proactively expanding foreign relations.
This shows that if you are proactive and creative, you can turn something that is not yet available into something, and any difficult task can be done," Minister Dao Ngoc Dung affirmed.
Through international cooperation, the Ministry's position has gradually improved. However, the Minister requested the Department of International Cooperation in the coming period not only to advise but also to become the core force to enhance the prestige of the Ministry.
We must make international friends know Vietnam's Ministry of Ethnic Minorities and Religions as an agency that plays an important role in promoting sustainable development in ethnic minority areas and ensuring the freedom of belief and religion of the people," the Minister emphasized.
Citing the spirit of the Resolution of the 14th National Party Congress, Minister Dao Ngoc Dung requested that foreign affairs work must be strongly innovated, creating a breakthrough.
He requested the Department of International Cooperation to urgently advise on building a project to innovate and strengthen foreign affairs in the field of ethnicity and religion to submit to the Prime Minister. The project needs to clearly define the goals, roadmap and resources for implementation.
In addition, the Department needs to develop a cooperation plan in key areas such as cadre training, journalism, publishing and religious affairs. The Department must proactively coordinate with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Government Office to fight to protect Vietnam's legitimate rights in international forums, especially in the face of issues being exploited related to ethnicity and religion.
Foreign affairs work must be deployed methodically and have a long-term strategy. The Department of International Cooperation must truly take the lead in paving the way, contributing to enhancing the position of the Ministry of Ethnic Minorities and Religions in the international arena," the Minister concluded.
