Meeting of the Organizing Committee for the 8th Asia Pacific Geoparks Network Symposium

Attending the meeting were Mr. Be Thanh Tinh, Member of the Standing Party Committee, Head of the Provincial Party Committee's Propaganda Department, Deputy Head of the Organizing Committee; Mr. Trinh Truong Huy, Member of the Provincial Party Committee, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, Deputy Head of the Standing Committee; Mr. Sam Viet An, Member of the Provincial Party Committee, Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism (DoCST), Deputy Head of the Organizing Committee and other members of the Symposium Organizing Committee.

The Symposium Organizing Committee approved the Report on the Preparation for the Symposium after the Organizing Committee meeting on July 18, 2024; proposed list of distinguished delegates of the Symposium. The preparations for the Symposium have been basically implemented on track by the Organizing Committee: completing the preparation of reception and logistics; completing the demo design of the Symposium identity set and script for the Art programs within the framework of the Symposium, souvenirs for Symposium participants; selecting stopovers for lunch and accommodations for delegates on the way from Hanoi - Cao Bang and vice versa; working with Noi Bai International Airport, conducting a field survey and reaching an agreement on parking locations and placing reception desks and standees to welcome international delegates upon arrival at Noi Bai International Airport; completing the contents: detailed plans on reception, logistics, and ceremony for each day with specific responsible staff; and promotional contents. Coordinating with the Viet Nam National Commission for UNESCO to develop detailed scripts for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, the 20^th Anniversary of the Global Geopark Network, program to welcome the Assistant Director General of UNESCO to the Symposium; organizing a press conference for the Symposium in Hanoi (August 22, 2024); generating the "Cao Bang Declaration"; organize a rehearsal for security, order and healthcare plan for the Symposium.

At the meeting, delegates focused on discussing and providing inputs on activities that need urgently implementing to prepare for the Symposium such as: finalizing the speeches, plans on ensuring traffic safety, security and order; developing a medical scenario, food safety and hygiene; deploying urban beautification of Cao Bang city and landscaping stopovers and experiential sites included in the mid-Symposium field excursion; preparing OCOP product displaying booths; communicating about the event via local and central newspapers and news agencies, etc.

Concluding the meeting, Mr. Hoang Xuan Anh, Chairman of Cao Bang PPC requested the relevant Departments, branches and localities to continue to speed up the implementation of assigned tasks; make additions to the list of invited delegates; enhance the event communication through central and local newspapers, social media platforms; increase the popularization of the Symposium to residential communities, especially in Cao Bang city; ensure the tasks of reception, logistics and ceremony for the Symposium and receiving delegates. At the same time, he suggested relevant Departments and branches review all the assigned tasks, then proactively cooperate with each other to rapidly complete the preparations for the Symposium according to the Master Plan. Thereby, contributing to the successful organization of the 8^th APGN Symposium and spreading the values ​​and good impressions of tourism, culture, and geology of Non nuoc Cao Bang UNESCO Global Geopark to domestic and international friends.