Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính delivers a speech at the General Debate of the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly.

 NEW YORK – Trust, sincerity and solidarity on the global scale with the role of the United Nations and the participation of all countries will help the international community address difficulties, overcome challenges, and promote peace, cooperation and prosperous development across the world, thus bringing happiness and well-being to all people, said Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính.

While delivering a speech at the General Debate of the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on September 22, PM Chính said Việt Nam, which suffered severe pains, sacrifices and losses from wars as well as blockage and embargo in the previous century, understood and cherished the values of peace, cooperation and development, adding with the spirit of “putting aside the past, overcoming differences, upholding similarities and looking towards the future”, Việt Nam had spared no efforts to develop relations with foreign countries.

As the world was facing serious crises in terms of trust, multilateral cooperation, principles and resources, PM Chính said that the world leaders should join hands to carry out five groups of measures with an inclusive and comprehensive approach.

First, it was necessary to build sincerity, reinforce strategic trust and call upon countries to uphold responsibility as the basis of the efforts, he said, in which the world’s powers should play a very important role in intensifying trust, and spreading sincerity and sense of responsibility.

Second, the world's leaders should stand shoulders by shoulders to devise a global solution to promoting solidarity, international cooperation and multilateralism, while heightening the UN’s central role, and supporting the plan to accelerate the realisation of the sustainable development goals.

Third, people should be considered as the centre, target, subject, motivation and resources of sustainable development in every process of policy making and actions, ensuring that no one is left behind, he said.

Fourth, overall solutions in the fields of economy, politics, and society should be accelerated to ensure stability, security and safety, with a focus placed on the transition to green economy, digital economy, circular economy, sharing economy and knowledge economy; promotion of innovation, startup, reduction of trade barriers; strengthening of free trade agreements; and improvement of fiscal-monetary institutions.

Fifth, global leaders should join hands to remove bottlenecks, mobilise and effectively use resources, while capitalising on their countries’ potential and strengths, PM Chính said, adding developing and underdeveloped countries, particularly those hard hit by climate change and diseases should receive support in terms of finance, technology, human resources and management.

He went on to affirm that Việt Nam persistently pursued a foreign policy of independence, self-reliance; multilateralisation and diversification; being a good friend and trustworthy partner of all countries, and a proactive and responsible member of the international community.

Việt Nam would make more contributions to the UN’s priorities, he said, stressing the country would increase its participation in UN  peacekeeping activities, and work to achieve the net-zero greenhouse gas emission target by 2050, besides ensuring both domestic and global food security.

Recalling the development history and current position of the Southeast Asian region, PM Chính pledged to join hands with countries both in and outside the region to maintain peace, stability, security, safety and freedom of navigation in the East Sea (known internationally as the South China Sea) based on international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS); exercise self-restraint, avoid unilateral actions, and settle disputes and differences via peaceful and cooperative measures, including diplomatic and legal processes.  

After PM Chính concluded his speech, international friends congratulated the Vietnamese leader and expressed their appreciation for Việt Nam’s positive and responsible contributions to the world, and spoke highly of the role and position of the Southeast Asian country in the region and the world. VNA/VNS