HÀ NỘI — Deputy Prime Minister Phạm Bình Minh attended the Sustainable Development Impact Summit, hosted by the World Economic Forum (WEF), while in New York for the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday (local time).

At the invitation of WEF President Borge Brende, Deputy PM Minh delivered a keynote speech at the session on the topic of “Galvanizing Country-led Pathways for Food”.

In his speech, Minh emphasised that, in the context of both the COVID-19 pandemic and the climate change crisis that is weakening global food systems, countries need to strengthen international cooperation and improve the adaptability under the conditions of the "new normal".

Sustainable agricultural development and food security have always been an important part of Việt Nam's development. Minh stated that in the development strategy for the 2021-2030 period, Việt Nam prioritises the development of large-scale, modern, high-tech, ecological agriculture with less emissions and adaptations to climate change. 

The Government of Việt Nam attaches great importance to, and is committed to developing, a transparent, responsible and sustainable food system, he said.

The Deputy PM highlighted a number of measures that could be taken to promote food productions systems around the world. 

Firstly, countries can work together to maintain the stability of global agricultural product supply chains, limit unnecessary barriers to production and export; strengthen value chain connectivity; promote e-commerce, improve traceability, logistics, transportation, and quality control systems. 

He emphasised coordination between parties in the agricultural-fishery export market, in which Việt Nam could become an intersection in connecting regional and world agricultural production chains.

Secondly, Minh cited the need to focus on digitising the agricultural sector.  He emphasised that Việt Nam is ready to become an innovation centre in Asia's food production, and will actively participate in initiatives on innovation, digital transformation, and environmental protection in the agricultural sector.

Thirdly, he discussed the promotion of a cooperation platform for sustainable agriculture, especially through public-private projects (PPP). Minh also highly praised the Public-Private Partnership Program for Sustainable Agriculture (Partnership for Sustainable Agriculture) within the WEF Framework, of which Việt Nam is one of the founding members.

Fourth, it is necessary to continue to prioritise pandemic control, he said, mentioning the importance of equal access to vaccines among countries and strengthening cooperation in the production of vaccines and therapeutic drugs.

The Sustainable Development Impact Summit is an annual event held during the week of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, with the goal of aligning the agenda of the WEF and the United Nations. The aim is to promote public-private cooperation and to support countries in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Agreement on climate change.

The fully virtual Sustainable Development Impact Summit 2021 took place from September 20-23 with the theme "Shaping equitable, inclusive and sustainable recovery". The conference was attended by more than 1000 delegates, including many national leaders, policymakers, leaders of international organisations, financial institutions, corporations, businesses and academics. 

With 96 different sessions, this year's conference focused on discussing four main areas: Economic recovery in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic; the promotion of inclusive recovery; strengthening climate action and building the food systems of the future. 

The summit is considered to be of great significance in the preparation for the Food Summit (UNFSS 2021) and the 26th Summit on Climate Change (COP 26) of the United Nations. — VNS