Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh (left) and UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina J. Mohammed. (Photo: VNA)

At a meeting with UN 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 Viet Nam’s UN membership.

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

PM Chinh reiterated Viet Nam’s strong commitments to multilateralism and a world order based on international law and the UN Charter, as well as the country’s support for the UN’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.

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

The PM said Viet Nam is working hard to achieve the target of becoming an industrialised country with high income by 2045, and the country hopes for more companionship and support from the UN, including in the implementation of the national digital transformation programme by 2025, with a vision towards 2030.

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

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

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

Viet Nam will actively engage in discussions and consultations at the UN to consider the implementation of recommendations mentioned in the UN Secretary-General’s report regarding the common agenda, he added.

Highlighting Viet Nam’s deployment of forces at UN peacekeeping missions, Chinh said the country needs more support from the UN 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 UN and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

He appealed to the UN 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, the peaceful settlement of disputes in accordance with international law, especially the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (1982 UNCLOS), and support Myanmar to stabilise 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 UN Charter, respecting and considering the legitimate interests of the sides concerned. He announced Viet Nam has decided to provide 500,000 USD to humanitarian activities to support the peple 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 emphasised that Viet Nam is an important partner and a friend of the UN, expressing her hope for more comprehensive, effective relations between the two sides.

The UN official said she was impressed by Viet Nam’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 Viet Nam’s active and responsible contributions to the UN, especially in the country’s performance as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for 2020-2021.

Amina praised Viet Nam for its strong support for multilateralism, peace and reform at the UN, its responsible participation in UN peacekeeping operations, implementation of SDGs and materialisation of climate commitments, especially its pledge at the COP26. She stressed that the UN will pay more attention to Viet Nam’s development priorities.

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

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

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Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh (left) and UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russel. (Photo: VGP)

Meeting with UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russelin New York on May 16, PM Chinh said Viet Nam 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, Viet Nam has become a trusted partner of the UN and UNICEF on many fronts.

Viet Nam 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 Viet Nam 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 Viet Nam’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 immunisation 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 Viet Nam-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 Viet Nam is providing 100,000 USD to UNICEF as part of the humanitarian assistance worth 500,000 USD to Ukraine.

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

The UNICEF chief especially welcomed and highly valued Viet Nam's cross-cutting guidelines and policies on the care and protection of children's rights in national programmes 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 Viet Nam-UNICEF 2022-26 Country Programme to meet the country’s priorities. UNICEF will accompany the organisations in the COVAX initiative to continue to support Viet Nam 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 UN General Assembly, during which he spoke highly of the priorities set by the 76th session of the UN General Assembly, covering sustainable development, post-pandemic recovery, climate change response, and UN reform.

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Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh (left) and President of the UN General Assembly Abdulla Shahid. (Photo: VNA)

Viet Nam backs improving the role of the UN 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 UN 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, Viet Nam has paid due attention to enhancing maritime security, and the observance of the 1982 UNCLOS, he said, calling on the UN General Assembly President to pay more heed to the matters over which many UN member countries share concern.

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

Viet Nam is a model of the UN, he continued, praising the country’s significant contributions to consolidating multilateralism and UN 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 Programme (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).

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Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh (left) and Administrator Achim Steiner of the UNDP. (Photo: VNA)

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 Viet Nam in reconstruction, national building and socio-economic development over the past 50 years.

PM Chinh welcomed and highly appreciated the UN-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.

Viet Nam has adopted the Socio-Economic Development Strategy 2021-30 and is currently implementing the Socio-Economic Development Plan 2021-25 to realise 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 Viet Nam 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 Viet Nam’s recent commitment at the UN COP 26 towards carbon neutrality by 2050 which requires a huge investment to the tune of 350-400 billion USD, PM Chinh asked the UNDP to continue to provide technical assistance for Viet Nam to achieve energy transition partnerships with G7 countries and help with the country’s development of a strategy to mobilise climate finances from partners.

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

He said he is especially impressed by Viet Nam’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 Viet Nam and always ready to support, advise on policies, and mobilise resources for the new development phase of Viet Nam, 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 Viet Nam to assist in improving the capacity to respond to climate change, and promote an equitable energy transition, and to help with handling unexploded ordnances.

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

Viet Nam to play more active role at UN: Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh