Marc Knapper, US Ambassador to Vietnam As we reflect on how much the United States and Vietnam have achieved together over the past 27 years since normalisation, it is clear that our progress has been extraordinary and that we have much to celebrate. We are grateful for the substantial contributions that have strengthened the US-Vietnam partnership and look forward to an exciting and vibrant future together. The breadth and depth of bilateral cooperation are stunning. We partner on everything from security and trade, education and war legacies, climate change and investment, to energy and health. That sense of achievement is clear in the dynamism of Vietnam’s economy. Vietnam’s stunning economic growth has been driven by thriving international trade and foreign direct investment that continue to create opportunities in manufacturing and services. Businesses are not only meeting customers’ needs in foreign markets, but also lifting the incomes of households across Vietnam. The … [Read more...] about Building on far-reaching US-Vietnam cooperation
Kjell martin grimeland
UN presses Taliban for ‘clarity’ on women’s role in aid delivery
Two senior UN leaders said Wednesday they were pressing the Taliban to reverse its restrictions on Afghan women, particularly a ban on working in aid delivery, with one official warning that "famine is looming" during the harsh winter. Martin Griffiths, UN Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief, gestures as he speaks during an interview with AFPa at the UN Compound in Kabul on January 25, 2023. Speaking in New York, UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed said she pushed "pretty hard" on women's issues during a visit last week to Afghanistan and sometimes "the reaction wasn't pleasant." Since returning to power in August 2021, the Taliban government has rapidly squeezed women out of public life, banning them also from secondary education, public sector work, as well as parks and baths. The country is facing one of the world's worst humanitarian crises, aid agencies say, with more than half of Afghanistan's 38 million population … [Read more...] about UN presses Taliban for ‘clarity’ on women’s role in aid delivery