Cao Bang Province worked with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on co-organizing the 8th Asia Pacific Geoparks Network Symposium.

Attending the meeting were Mr. Ha Kim Ngoc, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Chairman of the Vietnam National Commission for UNESCO (NatCom), Mr. Hoang Huu Anh, Deputy Director General, Mr. Dao Quyen Truong, Deputy Secretary General of the Vietnam NatCom; Ms. Tran Thi Thu Thin, Deputy Director, member of Secretariat of the NatCom; Deputy Director of the Department of Foreign Affairs; Mr. Trinh Hai Son, Head of the Vietnam Institute of Geosciences and Mineral Resources; Associate Professor, PhD. Tran Tan Van, member of the UNESCO Global Geoparks Council (UGGpC) and representative of several units under the umbrella of MoFA as well as Vietnam NatCom.

On the provincial side of Cao Bang Province, there were Mr. Hoang Xuan Anh, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of Cao Bang Provincial People's Committee (PPC); accompanied by leaders of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DoFA), Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism (DoCST) and some departments and branches.

At the meeting, delegates listened to the report on the preparations and contents of the master plan on organizing the 8th Asia Pacific Geoparks Network Symposium in Cao Bang; discussed the contents, programs, and activities within the framework and on the sidelines of the Symposium; the role and support of the Vietnam Natcome and the MoFA in organization of the Symposium.

Speaking at the meeting, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Ha Kim Ngoc highly appreciated Cao Bang Province's ideas and determination to host the Symposium. That Vietnam is going to host an event at the Asia Pacific region level in 2024 will be an important mark in the cooperation between Vietnam and UNESCO. This can be considered a continuation of the international conference on harnessing UNESCO designations for sustainable development in Vietnam organized in Ninh Binh Province (July 2023) which is sponsored and highly appreciated by UNESCO. Meanwhie, this Symposium will focus on exploiting issues and aspects of global geoparks. 

This is also an opportunity to strengthen international cooperation, share experiences with countries in this field, and promote the image of Vietnam in general and Cao Bang province in particular. On that basis, Vietnam NatCom agreed to co-chair the 8th Asia Pacific Geoparks Network Symposium. Related contents will be assigned to the Department of Cultural Diplomacy in coordination with Cao Bang province for implementation. It is suggested that after this meeting, Cao Bang province and NatCom will coordinate to make a specific to-do list for implementation between the two sides to avoid overlaped tasks.

Delegates attending the meeting also made many contributions to Cao Bang province in organizing an international conference. Cao Bang is actively carrying out the work of promulgating plans, establishing technical subcommittees, preparing facilities, and adressing the problem of the lack of English and Chinese interpreter volunteers... In the coming time, Cao Bang province will speed up approval and licensing of documents and activites related to the Symposium organization; coordinate with central ministries, especially Cao Bang is in need of support from the MoFA and Vietnam NatCom.
 

Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Hoang Xuan Anh expressed his gratitude to the MoFA for always pioneering in mobilizing external resources for national development, especially its role in paving the way, accompanying, and serving the people, localities and businesses in international integration’s benefits, including Cao Bang province. Simultaneously, extending his appriciation to Vietnam NatCom, along with domestic and international experts for guiding and supporting Cao Bang Province in successfully preparing and defending the candidature dossier for hosting the 8th APGN Symposium. At the same time, he said that the Province is very interested in promoting the UNESCO Global Geopark model to enhance sustainable socio-economic development, local branding, attract tourists, investment, and create livelihoods for the citizens. "The 8th APGN Symposium" taking place in Cao Bang province will be an opportunity to discuss and propose policies related to management and development of Global Geoparks in Asia Pacific region. This will also be an opportunity for the Province to strengthen international cooperation, share experiences with the world's leading experts, as well as promote the image of Viet Nam in general and Cao Bang province in particular.

Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Hoang Xuan Anh emphasized that this is not only an event of Cao Bang Province but also an event of Vietnam, with the large participation of international delegates from the Asia Pacfic region and worldwide. Provincial leaders have actively directed and mobilized functional agencies of Cao Bang province to promptly coordinate and deploy procedures and activities to prepare for the Symposium. Cao Bang expects to continue to receive the support, assistance, and companionship of the Vietnam NatCom for a sucessful Symposium, making it one of the most outstanding marks and achievements of Viet Nam in 2024.