Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính meets United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres in Hà Nội on Saturday. —VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính hosted a reception in Hà Nội on Saturday for visiting United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres.

PM Chính thanked the UN for standing side by side with Việt Nam in every development stage. During the difficult period of COVID-19 in particular, the UN’s support helped Việt Nam drive back the pandemic.

According to him, Việt Nam promptly switched to safe and flexible adaptation to the pandemic for economic re-opening and socio-economic recovery and development, with positive results recorded so far.

As Việt Nam still faces difficulties and challenges in fulfilling the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), responding to climate change, and ensuring energy and food security, he expressed hope to receive the UN’s further assistance toward three strategic breakthroughs, namely perfecting institutions, developing human resources, especially high-quality ones, and building a synchronous and modern infrastructure, both economically and socially, to achieve the goal of becoming an industrialised and high-income country by 2045.

Speaking highly of Việt Nam's role and voice in the international arena, the UN Secretary-General committed his full support for the main pillars of Việt Nam's development policy.

He expressed his impression and admiration for Việt Nam's steadfastness in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and its post-pandemic economic achievements, especially safe and flexible adaptation to and effective control of the pandemic, maintenance of macroeconomic stability, socio-economic recovery and development.

The guest hailed Việt Nam as one of the pioneering countries in the fight against social inequality and climate change response, as well as its achievements in ensuring human rights.

The Vietnamese PM emphasised a need for a global, all-people and comprehensive approach in dealing with current common challenges facing the world.

He said he supports the central role of the UN as well as the Secretary-General’s initiatives and efforts, affirming that Việt Nam is ready to do its best for the UN’s common works in all pillars.

Guterres affirmed that the UN and he himself will continue to pay attention to and support Việt Nam's development priorities and offers the nation policy advice on a green, sustainable and resilient post-pandemic recovery.

The UN Secretary-General wished the two sides to closely cooperate to ensure food and energy security, fight climate change, promote human rights, and develop digital technology, among others.

On the occasion, the host and guest shared concerns about the pandemic’s negative impacts, climate change, food and energy security, and inflation. They emphasised the need for countries worldwide to join hands in addressing such challenges. — VNS