Speaking at a ceremony to remember the victims of nuclear weapons and toxic chemicals, held in France on August 9, Bouny mentioned Vietnamese AO Victims’ Day (August 10) and the on-going Week for AO Victims in the Southeast Asian country. 

He said that Agent Orange/dioxin has directly and indirectly affected 4.8 million Vietnamese people of different generations, with no apparent end in sight. 

According to Bouny, US President Obama’s recent decision to double aid from 3 to 6 million USD for Vietnam to neutralise its dioxin hot spots is expected to bring hope to victims. 

However, he said that the sum of money is still too modest compared to the cost that Vietnam has paid for cleaning up after the toxic chemical’s ill-effects on human health and the environment. 

The ceremony, held on the 64 th anniversary of the US ’s atomic bomb attacks against Japan ’s cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki , was part of a campaign themed “Nuclear Disarmament for Peaceful Life” which took place in the central province of Lot, France, from August 8-9, attracting more than 500 people. 

On the occasion, a campaign entitled “International Walk for Peace and Non-Violence” was also launched. Departing from Wellington, New Zealand, on October 2, the walk will make a stop in France between November 7-12.