Vietnam to play more active role at U.N.: PM

At a meeting with U.N. Deputy Secretary-General Amina J. Mohammed in New York on May 16 (local time), the PM stressed that the year 2022 is of great significance as it marks the 45th anniversary of Vietnam's U.N. membership.

Appreciating the U.N.'s valuable contributions and support to Vietnam over the past more than four decades, the PM asked Amina to convey his invitation to Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and other U.N. leaders to visit Vietnam this year to foster multi-faceted cooperation between the two sides.

Chinh reiterated Vietnam's strong commitments to multilateralism and a world order based on international law and the U.N. Charter, as well as the country's support for the U.N.'s central role in the global administration system, saying it needs global, all-people, and comprehensive approaches to tackle common challenges like epidemics and climate change.

Vietnam backs enhancing relations between the U.N., parliaments of its member countries and the Inter-Parliamentary Union to make use of the support from legislative channels for the U.N. agenda, he continued.

The PM said Vietnam is working hard to achieve the target of becoming an industrialized country with high income by 2045, and the country hopes for more companionship and support from the U.N., including in the implementation of the national digital transformation program by 2025, with a vision towards 2030.

He also suggested the U.N. continue to assist developing countries in the COVID-19 fight, social welfare and recovery in a greener, more sustainable and self-reliant fashion.

Vietnam is resolved to fulfilling its commitment at the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference of Parties (COP26), he said, calling for the U.N.'s support in establishing partnerships in energy transition with G7 countries, and building a financial strategy for climate to mobilize resources from international development partners.

Chinh also suggested the U.N. give more assistance to Vietnam in fulfilling sustainable development goals (SDGs), including those on gender equality, clean energy, economic growth and sustainable employment.

Vietnam will actively engage in discussions and consultations at the U.N. to consider the implementation of recommendations mentioned in the U.N. Secretary-General's report regarding the common agenda, he added.

Highlighting Vietnam's deployment of forces at U.N. peacekeeping missions, Chinh said the country needs more support from the U.N. in this regard, and its further cooperation in the settlement of war consequences, particularly the clearance of unexploded ordnance left by the war.

Regarding regional and international issues, the PM noted with pleasure the enhanced relationship between the U.N. and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

He appealed to the U.N. to back ASEAN's centrality in handling regional issues, including maintaining peace, stability, security, safety and freedom of navigation and aviation in the East Sea (South China Sea), the peaceful settlement of disputes in accordance with international law, especially the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) 1982, and support Myanmar to stabilize the situation through dialogue and reconciliation, ensuring safety for civilians and humanitarian access.

On the situation in Ukraine, the PM affirmed that it is necessary to push dialogues and negotiations in search of sustainable peaceful solutions on the basis of respect to the fundamental principles of international law and the U.N. Charter, respecting and considering the legitimate interests of the sides concerned. He announced Vietnam has decided to provide USD 500,000 to humanitarian activities to support the people affected by the conflict in Ukraine, and stands ready to make active contributions to diplomatic process, dialogues and negotiations, as well as to the reconstruction and recovery in the country.

For her part, Amina emphasized that Vietnam is an important partner and a friend of the U.N., expressing her hope for more comprehensive, effective relations between the two sides.

The U.N. official said she was impressed by Vietnam's socio-economic achievements, its policies and efforts to safely and flexibly adapt to the COVID-19, and effectively control the pandemic.

She also commended Vietnam's active and responsible contributions to the U.N., especially in the country's performance as a non-permanent member of the U.N. Security Council for 2020-2021.

Amina praised Vietnam for its strong support for multilateralism, peace and reform at the U.N., its responsible participation in U.N. peacekeeping operations, implementation of SDGs and materialization of climate commitments, especially its pledge at the COP26. She stressed that the U.N. will pay more attention to Vietnam's development priorities.

The official shared Vietnam's viewpoints in many regional and international issues, including one on the East Sea, and expressed her hope that the ASEAN-U.N. relationship will be strengthened for peace, security and prosperity in the region and the world.

Amina also expressed her belief that Vietnam will carry forward its role in addressing global issues.

Meeting with UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russel in New York on May 16, PM Chinh said Vietnam cherished the cooperation with United Nations Children's Fund in the past 40 years and its contributions to the global efforts in protecting and caring for children.

The Vietnamese leader noted that from a recipient of humanitarian assistance, Vietnam has become a trusted partner of the U.N. and UNICEF on many fronts.

Vietnam supports UNICEF Strategic Plan for 2022-25 Towards 2030, including the emphasis on children's rights like every child has the right to study and life skills, to be protected from abuse and violence, to get access to clean water, hygiene and safe environment, etc. – all of which are also the goals Vietnam are striving towards.

PM Chinh thanks UNICEF for the active help for the country, especially in the face of COVID-19 pandemic, including the transportation and donation of dozens of millions of vaccine doses via the COVAX mechanism as well as medical supplies to help raise the vaccination capacity.

PM Chinh informed the official that Vietnam's COVID-19 vaccination coverage has reached 84 percent of its the population, with nearly 100 percent of the people aged from 12 to older fully vaccinated, thanks in part to UNICEF and development partners' help in the development of the national expanded immunization system.

The country is currently rolling out vaccination for children in the 5-12 age group and welcomes UNICEF's support in this issue.

The Vietnamese Government leader highly valued the major cooperation agendas in the Vietnam-UNICEF cooperation plan 2022-26, saying that they are in line with the Government's priorities – especially in issues such as climate change, disease response, gender equality, children's protection.

He said Vietnam is providing USD 100,000 to UNICEF as part of the humanitarian assistance worth USD 500,000 to Ukraine.

For her part, Catherine Russell expressed her delight at the close and effective cooperation between UNICEF and Vietnam over the past four decades, and spoke highly of Vietnam's socio-economic achievements and realization of the sustainable development goals in the challenging context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The UNICEF chief especially welcomed and highly valued Vietnam’s cross-cutting guidelines and policies on the care and protection of children’s rights in national programs and action plans, including items like educational rights and welfare of children in mountainous, remote and isolated areas, and improving the nutrition for children.

She affirmed that UNICEF will continue to actively implement the Vietnam-UNICEF 2022-26 Country Program to meet the country's priorities. UNICEF will accompany the organizations in the COVAX initiative to continue to support Vietnam in responding to the COVID-19, especially in the supply of vaccines and domestic production of vaccines, contributing to the protection and bringing a better life to Vietnamese people, especially children, against the pandemic.

On this occasion, PM Chinh had a meeting with Abdulla Shahid, President of the U.N. General Assembly, during which he spoke highly of the priorities set by the 76th session of the U.N. General Assembly, covering sustainable development, post-pandemic recovery, climate change response, and U.N. reform.

Vietnam backs improving the role of the U.N. General Assembly and enhancing relations of its agencies, he said.

Briefing Shahid on major policies and guidelines of the Vietnamese Party and State on socio-economic development, and pandemic response and adaptation in the new normal, Chinh suggested the U.N. step up priorities towards developing countries in the transfer of vaccine and drug production technologies, medical equipment and finance in service of their development, among others.

As a coastal country, Vietnam has paid due attention to enhancing maritime security, and the observance of the UNCLOS 1982, he said, calling on the U.N. General Assembly President to pay more heed to the matters over which many U.N. member countries share concern.

Shahid held that Vietnam is a success story as the country has overcome a range of difficulties to record marked achievements in socio-economic development and pandemic fight.

Vietnam is a model of the U.N., he continued, praising the country's significant contributions to consolidating multilateralism and U.N. activities, especially its efforts in promoting global commitments like the one on climate change response.

The two sides shared the view on the necessity to intensify multilateralism and international cooperation to cope with global challenges, especially epidemics and climate change.

PM Chinh also asked for United Nations Development Program (UNDP)'s help in achieving carbon emissions neutrality by 2050 in his meeting with Administrator Achim Steiner in New York on May 16 (local time).

The leader said he highly values the important role, strategic direction and the current leadership of UNDP in in promoting the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).

He thanked the UNDP for the consistent support for Vietnam in reconstruction, national building and socio-economic development over the past 50 years.

PM Chinh welcomed and highly appreciated the U.N.-Energy Plan of Action which Achim Steiner personally served as a Co-Chair, with the aim of supporting countries in equitable energy transition, greenhouse gas emissions reduction and strengthening of climate change response.

Vietnam has adopted the Socio-Economic Development Strategy 2021-30 and is currently implementing the Socio-Economic Development Plan 2021-25 to realize the goal of becoming a developed country with modern industry and upper middle-income status; and becoming developed, high-income country by 2045, he noted.

These are huge and ambitious visions that require a lot of efforts while, on the other hand, the country is facing many challenges as the COVID-19 pandemic is worsening inequality and exacerbating many existing problems, PM Chinh said.

The Vietnamese Government leader welcomed the cooperation between Vietnam and the UNDP in recent times, especially in the area of green and sustainable development and climate change response, and said he will direct agencies to closely coordinate with the UNDP in technical assistance and policy consultation for areas of interest like transition into carbon neutrality, green economy, and post-pandemic recovery.

With Vietnam's recent commitment at the U.N. COP 26 towards carbon neutrality by 2050 which requires a huge investment to the tune of USD 350-400 billion, PM Chinh asked the UNDP to continue to provide technical assistance for Vietnam to achieve energy transition partnerships with G7 countries and help with the country's development of a strategy to mobilize climate finances from partners.

For his part, the UNDP official congratulated Vietnam on its great achievements in recent years as a result of the right guidelines and policies, describing Vietnam as a model in socio-economic development and implementation of the SDGs which contribute valuable and practical experiences to the U.N. and the international community.

He said he is especially impressed by Vietnam's flexible response in the fight against the COVID-19, the country's leading directions and strong commitments in green recovery, climate change response, and the breakthroughs in institutions, human resources and infrastructure, and development of the digital economy.

Achim Steiner affirmed that the UNDP is proud to cooperate with Vietnam and always ready to support, advise on policies, and mobilize resources for the new development phase of Vietnam, especially in the building of policies and strategies for socio-economic development towards green economy, sustainability, and inclusiveness; attracting investment, financial, and green technology resources to Vietnam to assist in improving the capacity to respond to climate change, and promote an equitable energy transition, and to help with handling unexploded ordnance.

He also said he hopes that Vietnam will be an Asia-Pacific model for the countries in need of investment, energy conversion, biodiversity, and environmental protection.

Source: VNA