Attending the workshop, there were Prof. Dr. Nguyen Xuan Thang, official member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam, Director of the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics, former President of Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences; Prof. Dr. Kikeo Kaikhamphitoun, Secretariat of the Central Committee of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party, Head of the Party’s Commission for Propaganda and Training, President of Lao National Social Science Council; Prof. Dr. Thongsalit Mangnomek, official member of the Central Committee of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party, Director of Laos’ National Academy of Politics and Administration; representatives of Vietnam Embassy in Laos; representatives of Cambodia Embassy in Laos; Ms. Lainie Thomas, representative of ADB Bank; Dr. Susan Maree Vize, representative of UNESCO.
In the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences (VASS) side, there were 19 delegates including Prof. Dr. Nguyen Quang Thuan, President of VASS; Prof. Dr. Pham Van Duc, Vice President of VASS, Director of Graduate Academy of Social Sciences (GASS); Assoc. Prof. Dr. Dang Nguyen Anh, Vice President of VASS, Director of the Institute of Sociology; Prof. Dr. Vo Khanh Vinh, former Vice President of VASS, former Director of GASS; managers, scientists representing departments and research institutes under VASS.
In the Royal Academy of Cambodia (RAC) side, there were Prof. Dr. Khlot Thyda, President of RAC; managers and scientists from departments and research institutes under RAC.
In the Laos Academy of Social Science (LASS) there were Prof. Dr. Soukkongseng Saingaleuth, official member of the Central Committee of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party, President of LASS; Dr. Amphayvanh Khamsengsivilay, Vice President of LASS; managers and scientists from departments and research institutes under LASS. Also, there were researchers from National University of Laos (NUOL).
Presiding at the opening of the workshop, there were Prof. Dr. Kikeo Kaikhamphitoun, Secretariat of the Central Committee of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party, Head of the Party’s Commission for Propaganda and Training, President of Lao National Social Science Council; Prof. Dr. Soukkongseng Saingaleuth, official member of the Central Committee of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party, President of LASS; Prof. Dr. Nguyen Quang Thuan, President of VASS; Prof. Dr. Khlot Thyda, President of RAC.
The workshop started with opening speech from Prof. Dr. Kikeo Kaikhamphitoun, Secretariat of the Central Committee of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party, Head of the Party’s Commission for Propaganda and Training, President of Lao National Social Science Council; speeches and introduction session of the workshop from President of LASS, President of RAC, President of VASS. In his speech, Prof. Dr. Nguyen Quang Thuan, President of VASS emphasised that development history of all nations confirmed a fact that social science played an integral role in choosing development orientation and scope of every country. Social Science directly provided knowledge in several fields (economics, culture, society, education, management, religion…) and played an important part in planning, completion and implementation of guidelines and policies in sustainable economic-social development. Therefore, human resources in social sciences as creators and direct participants in the implementation of national development models were among the determinants to the success of the economic – social development in every nation. In the context of global integration nowadays, human resources in social sciences had faced many new challenges. Firstly, the workforce in social sciences needed to quickly capture requirements that the new context might pose, for example, issues related to development strategies, development models related to national sustainable development based on harmonious enhancement of main economic, social and environmental factors. Secondly, it was necessary that workforce in social sciences effectively connected and integrated to a global network of the workforce in social sciences in order to resolve the problems related to the complicated relationship of a nation with the international community in the context of globalisation. Thirdly, the workforce in social sciences was required to have a deep perception about preservation and promotion of national cultural identity, thereby, promoted the soft power of national culture in connection to the international community, balanced between the growth of the nation and the overall development of mankind. The Present of VASS clearly stated that the three countries had similar characteristics in geographical locations, history as well as social and cultural features. In recent years, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia had been effectively cooperating in enhancing human resources. Several collaborative programs in education and training, exchange and experience sharing in developing human resources have been organised under many forms. To face challenges in the context of globalisation, there was an urgent need for further cooperating and developing human resources in social sciences in the three countries. It was essential for the three nations to inherit the achievements, increase exchange activities, diversify different forms of cooperation, and focus on the effectiveness of collaborative forms in enhancing human resources in social sciences.
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After opening session, there were three sessions with different presentations:
Session 1: The role and importance of human resources development in social sciences in Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia.
Session 2: Experiences, directions, forms and methods of training human resources in social science in the context of international integration.
Session 3: Collaborative directions in human resources development in social sciences in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia.
There were several valuable opinions, discussions and suggestions to increase the efficiency of cooperation in human resources development in social sciences in the three countries. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Xuan Thang proposed that the three countries needed to have a joint research program, build a joint research team to address the common issues of the region, seek funding resources from international organisations, and required to have the involvement of international scientific community who were interested in the development of the region. Also, there was a need for training human resources on social sciences by implementing research programs and topics for the scientists to improve their skills and knowledge. The researchers had to be fluent in the languages of the three countries to facilitate the exchange of expertise. The training institutions under VASS and National Academy of Politics needed to expand majors and training content, innovate training methods to contribute to high-quality human resources development in social sciences.
Speaking at the closing session of the workshop, Prof. Dr. Nguyen Quang Thuan, President of VASS summarised the content of the workshop, highly evaluated organising activities of Lao National Social Science Council as the host, the enthusiastic and responsible contribution of leaders and researchers of the three Academies. There were high-quality scientific presentations, honest discussion opinions about human resources development in social sciences in the context of international integration. The President clearly stated in session 1 that researchers from the three countries had confirmed the role and position of social sciences in social development through three functions including researching, training and policy advising; indicated challenges and required an enhancement in the role of social sciences in the development in the context of widely international integration; from that initially identified tasks of social sciences in a new context, which were: a) Research, detect and evaluate effects of the process of international integration and integration within the region; b) Research, detect and predict impacts of global trend in the next decades on social development in each country; c) Research and evaluate collaborative methods brought by the process of international integration to contribute to social development in each nation, the region and worldwide. In session 2, presentations and discussion opinions analysed lessons learned about human resources development in social sciences in each country, suggested directions and proposed some solutions to develop human resources in social sciences in the three countries in near future, which were: a) Strengthen innovation in awareness about human resources development in social sciences, innovation in basic state management on human resources development in social sciences; b) Concentrate on building and implementing programs and projects with a focus on human resources development in social sciences; c) Implement Strategy in education development in which education development in social sciences would be taken seriously; d) Promote training human resources in social sciences in regions and for specific groups, develop and promote the national cultural values of communities in the three countries; e) Innovate policies in using human resources in social sciences; build and implement policies in appointing talents in social sciences to important posts; f) Mobilize resources for investment in human resources development in social sciences until 2020, strengthen and expand international cooperation in human resources development in social sciences. In session 3, presentations and discussion opinions confirmed the fact that during the past years, the three Academies focused on cooperation in human resources development through different methods, as well as proposed directions in collaboration in human resources development in social sciences in the future, which were: a) Cooperation in research, focus on issues that are of the three countries’ interests and problems related to citizens’ lives in the neighbouring provinces of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia; b) Collaboration through holding scientific conferences, expansion the participation of scientists, managers who were not official members of the three Academies; c) Cooperation through training postgraduate, holding short courses; d) Collaboration via translating and publishing works and documents with high reference values in three countries, exchanging publications and documents among the Academies and affiliated research institutes; e) Innovation in collaborative methods in human resources development in social sciences, various activities of youth exchanges aimed at sharing experiences, findings that the three parties were interested in, and contribute to strengthening friendly relations of VASS, LASS, and RAC. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Quang Thuan emphasised that with the results achieved in this workshop, the role of social sciences and human resources in social sciences for sustainable development of each country and the region were learnt. Also, the consensus in the perception of the scientists in this workshop strongly affirmed the essential role of cooperation in sciences to enhance mutual understanding among scientific communities of the three countries, consolidate the solidarity among nations in coping with the challenges of each country and the region in the context of globalisation nowadays. This was considered as the base to organise the sixth annual scientific workshop in social sciences in Cambodia in 2017.
Making closing speech and informing about the sixth annual scientific workshop, Prof. Dr. Khlot Thyda, President of RAC expressed her strong consensus with the conclusions of Prof. Dr. Nguyen Quang Thuan, President of VASS, and also emphasised great appreciation to the staff of LASS for successfully organising the workshop. The proposed content about cooperation among the three countries was abundant, which would contribute to improving the efficiency of collaboration between the three Academies. RAC would be pleased to host the sixth annual workshop in Siem Reap with the topic about history of the relations among the three countries in order to enhance understanding among these nations in particular and in ASEAN community in general, and contribute to the development of each country and the region.
In his closing speech, Prof. Dr. Soukkongseng Saingaleuth, President of LASS expressed his agreement with the opinions of Presidents of VASS and RAC in the closing session. The President of LASS highly appreciated the presentations and discussion opinions and proposals of scientists from the three nations in the workshop. The workshop strongly agreed with the confirmation of the role and importance of social sciences in national development. The workshop also indicated several issues what needed attention, research and cooperation in the future. The topic of the sixth annual scientific workshop would focus on the historical and cultural relations in neighbouring areas among the three countries. The fifth annual workshop in social sciences was successful and contributed to strengthen collaborative relations among the three Academies in particular and the solidarity and mutual understanding among citizens in Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia in general./.
Assoc. Prof. Dr Vu Hung Cuong
