The 2014 UN Day of Vesak was successfully wrapped up in the northern province of Ninh Binh with the adoption of a statement highlighting three sustainable development pillars.
The four-day event gathered nearly 1,500 delegates from 95 countries and territories worldwide and more than 20,000 domestic and foreign Buddhist monks, nuns and followers.
Addressing the closing ceremony, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc affirmed that the UN Day of Vesak in Viet Nam has become a cultural festival full of national and international solidarity with a message of peace and love on the basis of Buddha’s thought.
He expressed his hope that through this event, the solidarity among countries will be boosted for more practical actions for peace, cooperation and progress of the mankind.
He believed that the international community’s fine aspirations reflected in the Ninh Binh Statement will be realised.
According to Most Venerable Thich Duc Thien, Secretary General of the International Committee for Day of Vesak, the statement stresses tireless efforts to reach millennium development goals (MDGs) and urges world leaders to focus sustainable development on the three pillars of environmental protection, economic development and social equality.
A candle burning ceremony for peace was held at Bai Dinh Pagoda in the province on May 10 evening, with the participation of about 1,500 people.