PANO - HSH Prince Alfred of Liechtenstein arrived in Vietnam to promote the 4th ASEAN event series “Bridges – Dialogues Towards a Culture of Peace” on May 22, 2012. During his 10 days visit to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City the Prince will be received, among others, by HE Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, HE Pham Binh Minh, Minister of Foreign Affairs, HE Pham Vu Luan, Minister of Education and Training, and HE Le Hoang Quan, Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee. While HSH Prince Alfred of Liechtenstein is Chairman, CEO and Board Member of different companies in the fields of engineering, investment, trading, banking and consulting, he is also actively involved in various not-for-profit organizations and chairs the Advisory Board of the International Peace Foundation based in Vienna.
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| Local officials receive HSH Prince Alfred of Liechtenstein and his wife and Mr. Uwe Morawetz, President of the International Peace Fund at the airport |
Nobel Laureates from all fields set to visit Vietnam
Starting in November 2012 the event series “Bridges – Dialogues Towards a Culture of Peace” will be continuously held in different parts of Vietnam involving the participation of Nobel Laureates for Economics, Peace, Physics, Chemistry and Medicine as well as other eminent keynote speakers.
Vietnam Honorary Chairman of “Bridges”
The Vietnam “Bridges” program is chaired by HE Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung as the Honorary Chairman.
Vietnam “Bridges” partners and host institutions
The series of events is facilitated by the Vienna-based International Peace Foundation and locally hosted by the Ministry of Education and Training in cooperation with various national and international partners. Also UNESCO is part of the “Bridges” programs which since 2003 have been held in Southeast Asia as an independent contribution to the United Nations' Decade for a Culture of Peace and Non-Violence.
Previous “Bridges” events in Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia and Cambodia
The Vietnam series of "Bridges" follows the successful "Bridges" series with a total of 450 events which the International Peace Foundation has already hosted in Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia and Cambodia since 2003. 38 Nobel Laureates as well as 18 other keynote speakers and artists such as Dr. Hans Blix, Jackie Chan, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, Vanessa-Mae, Jessye Norman, Oliver Stone and Dr. James Wolfensohn participated in these events. In Thailand they were presided over by Her Majesty Queen Sirikit and Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn and reached an audience of 140,000 participants.
Expansion of “Bridges” to other ASEAN countries
The International Peace Foundation has since then been invited by other ASEAN countries to build further bridges towards peace and international understanding by expanding its "Bridges" program in Southeast Asia to stimulate the intellectual, scientific and cultural exchange in the region.
Up to 50 events to be held in Vietnam
“Bridges” will continuously take place in Vietnam from November 2012 to April 2013, comprising a series of up to 50 events with Nobel Laureates from all fields. The Nobel Laureates will visit the country not all at once, but separately to conduct public lectures, seminars, workshops and dialogues hosted by local institutions during a continued period of six months.
Topics of the Vietnam “Bridges” events
The topics of the ongoing events will deal with the overall theme of “building a culture of peace and development in a globalized world” and with a wide range of issues in the fields of politics, economy, science, culture and the media. They will especially highlight the challenges of both globalization and regionalism and its impact on development and international cooperation.
Aim of “Bridges”
The aim of “Bridges” is to facilitate and strengthen dialogue and communication between societies in Southeast Asia with their multiple cultures and faiths as well as with peoples in other parts of the world to promote understanding and trust. The events aim at building bridges through Nobel Laureates with local universities and other institutions in Southeast Asia to establish long-term relationships which result in common research programs and other forms of collaboration. By enhancing science, technology and education as a basis for peace and development the events may lead to a better cooperation for the advancement of peace, freedom and security in the region with the active involvement of the young generation, ASEAN’s key to the future.
Continuous process of synergies, not onetime event
This is why “Bridges” is not designed as a onetime event, but as a continuing process of synergies to make the series of events a sustainable success for Vietnam and for Southeast Asia as a whole.
“Bridges” sponsors in Vietnam
All “Bridges” events are open and free of charge for the general public and are made possible through the generous support of sponsors including most prominently the Jackie Chan Charitable Foundation, BMW Euro Auto, the Hilton Hanoi Opera and the Moevenpick Saigon Hotel, among others.
Line-up of confirmed Nobel Laureates and keynote speakers
Confirmed Nobel Laureates and keynote speakers visiting Vietnam from November to April include:
In November: Prof. Roger Myerson, a 2007 Nobel Laureate for Economics at the University of Chicago who was awarded the Nobel Prize for his work on mechanism design theory. Mechanism design theory tries to stimulate market conditions in such a way as to maximize gains for all parties. Today, the theory plays a central role in many areas of economics and parts of political science. Prof. Myerson will speak on “Leadership, democracy and local government” on November 15 and November 16 in Hanoi
Also in November: Prof. Harald zur Hausen, a 2008 Nobel Laureate for Medicine at the German Cancer Research Center in Heidelberg who was awarded the Nobel Prize for his discovery that the human papillomavirus causes cervical cancer, the second most common cancer in women. He went on to identify the primary strains of the virus that carry the disease, followed by the development of vaccines that provide more than 95% protection from infection. Professor zur Hausen will speak on “Cancer prevention as a challenge for global health” on November 28 in Ho Chi Minh City and on November 30 in Hanoi
In December: Prof. Douglas Osheroff, a Nobel Laureate for Physics at Stanford University who was awarded the Nobel Prize for his discovery of superfluidity in the isotope helium-3. He was selected to serve on the Space Shuttle Columbia investigation panel and currently serves on the board of Scientists and Engineers for America, an organization focused on promoting sound science in American government. Professor Osheroff will speak on “How science changes our lives” on December 14 in Hanoi
In January: Prof. Muhammad Yunus, the Founder of Grameen Bank in Bangladesh who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 for his efforts to create economic and social development from below by microcredit lending. In Bangladesh today, Grameen is serving 8 million borrowers in over 80,000 villages. Of the borrowers 97% are women and over 97% of the loans are paid back, a recovery rate higher than any other banking system. Professor Yunus will speak on “The concepts of microcredit and microfinance as a pathway towards social development and peace” on January 16 in Hanoi
Also in January: Prof. Sir Harold Kroto, a Nobel Laureate for Chemistry at Florida State University who was awarded the Nobel Prize for his discovery of the carbon compounds called fullerenes. He presently carries out research in nanoscience and nanotechnology and has set up the Vega Science Trust, a UK educational charity and TV science channel accessed by over 165 countries, of which many programs have been broadcast on BBC. Professor Kroto will speak on “Education – the basis for peace and the key to an enlightened global community” on January 30 in Hanoi
In March: Prof. Ngo Bao Chau, a Vietnamese mathematician at the University of Chicago who was awarded the Fields Medal in 2010 for proving the fundamental lemma for automorphic forms. His proof was selected by Times magazine as one of the top ten scientific discoveries in 2009. At age 33 he became the youngest professor ever in Vietnam, and in 2011 he was appointed by the Prime Minister to head the Vietnam Institute of Advanced Study in Mathematics in Hanoi. Professor Ngo Bao Chau will speak on “How we learn” on March 13 in Hanoi and on March 15 in Ho Chi Minh City
Also in March: Prof. Romano Prodi who has been the Prime Minister of Italy twice and the President of the European Commission from 1999 to 2004. During his term in office as Italian Prime Minister he privatized telecommunications and reformed the government’s employment and pension policies. During his term as President of the European Commission he was credited as overseeing the introduction of the euro while the EU expanded beyond its western European roots. Professor Prodi will speak on “Politics and peace – worldwide cooperation in the age of globalization” on March 18 in Hanoi
And finally in April: Prof. Oliver Williamson, a 2009 Nobel Laureate for Economics at the University of California in Berkeley who was awarded the Nobel Prize for economic governance of firms and market modes of contracting. By drawing attention to equivalences and differences between market and non-market decision-making, management and service provision, Professor Williamson has been influential in the debates on the boundaries within and between the public and private sectors. Professor Williamson will speak on “Organizational innovation in mature and developing countries” on April 24 in Hanoi and on April 26 in Ho Chi Minh City.
Thu Nguyen – Phuong Ha