Annonce importante : L’IAGG2013

Veuillez consulter cette importante annonce de l’AIGG concernant le congrès de l’AIGG2013 et la situation dans la péninsule coréenne (en anglais seulement).

Nous rappelons aux Canadiens qui envisagent de se rendre en Corée pour le congrès de l’AIGG2013 qu’ils peuvent inscrire leur programme de voyage auprès du ministère des Affaires étrangères et du Commerce international sur le site : http://voyage.gc.ca/voyager/inscription.


IAGG’S 20TH WORLD CONGRESS OF
GERONTOLOGY AND GERIATRICS

SITUATION IN THE KOREAN
PENINSULA

Dear Colleagues,

Please find
below two mails exchanged between IAGG Headquarters in France and IAGG
Organizing Committee of the Seoul Congress regarding the political situation on
the Korean
peninsula:

QUOTE____


Envoyé : Thursday 11 avril 2013 08:35
À : Bruno VELLAS – IAGG
President, Alain FRANCO – IAGG Secretary General & Vice President, Athanase
BENETOS – IAGG Treasurer
Objet : South Korean Situation

Dear Prof.
Vellas, Prof. Franco, Prof. Benetos (IAGG Executive Board Members),

I do
appreciate your kind e-mail dated April 5 in which you have expressed your
concern over the recent political situation on the Korean peninsula. I
can fully understand how you feel about the news of the escalating tension
between North/South Korea, especially at a time when the IAGG World Congress in
Seoul is only two months way.

Let me clarify my position in this regard
at this moment as follows;

1. The preparation for the 20th IAGG World
Congress is well under way without interruption.
3,425 persons (including
2,543 from overseas) finished their registration and 3,674 papers were received
as of April 10. Everything is going very smoothly now.

2. Any real war
between South and North Korea is not a possibility at all.
Seoul news media
reported quite recently that the Korean government sent an official message to
all of its overseas diplomatic missions which reads « the escalating threats from
the North is nothing more than a political rhetoric and a psychological warfare
which aim at strengthening their leverage in the future negotiations, and the
possibility of the actual warfare between the two Koreas is considered very low,
judging from the internal activities and circumstances of North
Korea. »

One reporter of UK Economist in Seoul reported on April 10 that
it’s a psychological war, not a real war.

3. We experienced quite similar
situation at the time of the Seoul Olympiad in 1988 but the World Event ended in
a total peace.

4. I firmly believe that the 20th IAGG World Congress in
Seoul will be held as planned in a safe way without any big problem.
All the
participants will have an opportunity to understand how South Korea has grown
successfully into one of the major players in the world economy despite the
repeated military threats from the North for the last 60 years. They will be
able to personally confirm how peacefully and dynamically the Korean people and
its society are working.

I will continue to do my best to make the 20th
IAGG World Congress a great success.

With best regards,

Heung Bong
Cha, Ph.D.
President Elect of IAGG
President and Chairperson of Organizing
Committee for the 20th IAGG World Congress of Gerontology and
Geriatrics

Message sent by Joo Hyun Song
Senior Executive Secretary,
Organizing Committee for the 20th IAGG World
Congress

UNQUOTE___

QUOTE___

——–
Message original ——–
Sujet:     IAGG : SEOUL2013 :
North/South Korean situation
Date :     Friday 05 Apr 2013
15:04:58 +0200
De :        de Seynes Constance
Pour :
IAGG PRESIDENT ELECT – Heung Bong CHA

Dear Prof
CHA,

We are paying close attention to the political situation on the
Korean peninsula and wish that all is going well, despite the news that we
receive in France. Just for our information, we would like to know whether you
have any concerns for the Seoul congress.  Of course, you can count on our
full support, whatever the developments between North and South Korea.

We
would greatly appreciate receiving news directly from you in Seoul and look
forward to your opinion on this worrisome matter.

Best wishes to you and
your team,

Bruno VELLAS

Alain
FRANCO
Athanase BENETOS
IAGG President

IAGG Secretary
General
IAGG
Treasurer

& Vice President

Message sent by Constance de SEYNES, IAGG Executive
Board Officer
c/o Faculté de Médecine – Institut du Vieillissement, 37
Allées Jules Guesde, 31000 Toulouse, France – Phone : +33 (0) 5.61.14.56.39 –
Fax : +33 (0)
5.61.14.56.40

UNQUOTE____

Of course, the
Organizers are continuously and carefully monitoring the situation and they are
putting in place contingency measures and plans for communicating effectively
with potential delegates, should this become necessary.

IAGG’s 20th
congress promises to provide an important platform for expanding Gerontology and
Geriatrics worldwide and for enhancing the global endeavour on aging in the next
decades. So, please feel free to circulate this information amongst fellow
members, colleagues and networks in your country and abroad.

We look
forward to meeting you all in Seoul.

Best regards,

Bruno
VELLAS
IAGG President

Message sent by Constance de
SEYNES, IAGG Executive Board Officer
c/o Faculté de Médecine – Institut du
Vieillissement, 37 Allées Jules Guesde, 31000 Toulouse, France – Phone : +33 (0)
5.61.14.56.39 – Fax : +33 (0) 5.61.14.56.40