Deputy Prime Minister Vũ Đức Đam (right) presented a gift for outgoing United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Resident Representative Caitlin Wiesen during their meeting on Friday. — Photo from UNDP

HÀ NỘI — Deputy Prime Minister Vũ Đức Đam hailed outgoing United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Resident Representative Caitlin Wiesen for her initiatives and contributions to supporting Việt Nam in promoting socio-economic development and international integration, during a reception for her in Hà Nội on Friday.

Đam expressed his joy at the fruitful cooperation between Việt Nam and the UN over the last decades, affirming that the Vietnamese Government highly values the role played by the UNDP in supporting development worldwide.  

He also praised Wiesen for her support to help Việt Nam improve its role and position in the international arena, and further bolster its cooperation relation with the UN and the UNDP in particular.

According to the Vietnamese leader, UNDP and Wiesen personally actively promoted the support of medical equipment and supplies for Việt Nam during its fight against the COVID-19 pandemic; promptly made reports on socio-economic impacts caused by the health crisis on poor households in Việt Nam; and proposed measures for and supported Vietnamese ministries and sectors in building policies to swiftly respond to the pandemic and speed up socio-economic recovery.

The Vietnamese leader also spoke highly of UNDP’s assistance for Việt Nam in accelerating the country's administrative reform and green and inclusive economic recovery; unexploded ordnance (UXO) clearance; and facilitating women to join UN peacekeeping operations.

Đam expressed his hope that the UNDP will continue to help Việt Nam improve its readiness to respond to future diseases, and review and speed up the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); as well as share experience and good practices in the world with the Southeast Asian nation on solving socio-economic impacts on vulnerable groups during its green transition scheme. 

The Deputy PM also suggested UNDP enhance technical support for Việt Nam in reducing greenhouse gas emissions; and increasing resilience and adaptive capacity of communities, economic sectors and ecosystems.

For her part, Wiesen promised to make more practical contributions to the cooperation relations between Việt Nam and the UNDP in the framework of the Việt Nam – UNDP Country Programme in the 2022-26 period which aims to help Việt Nam promote circular economy and multidimensional poverty reduction; respond to climate change; strengthen resilience to natural disasters; and ensure environmental sustainability, among others. — VNS