Ambassador Mai Phan Dũng, Permanent Representative of Việt Nam to the United Nations in Geneva (right). — VNA/VNS Photo

GENEVA — Ambassador Mai Phan Dũng, Permanent Representative of Việt Nam to the United Nations in Geneva, on March 7 affirmed the importance the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) attaches to fisheries cooperation and Việt Nam's achievements in developing this sector.

He delivered two speeches while attending an interactive dialogue with the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to food.

On behalf of ASEAN, Dũng stated that the bloc always attached importance to fisheries cooperation and considered this one of the economic integration priorities that plays an important role in ensuring food security, promoting economies and boosting livelihoods across the region.

He also shared many initiatives of the regional grouping aiming to assist small-scale producers, including the Strategic Plan of Action on ASEAN Cooperation on Fisheries (2021-25) that identifies strategic priorities such as enhancing the fisheries and aquaculture sector’s resilience to climate change and natural shocks, and helping small-scale producers improve productivity and competitiveness.

The ASEAN Leaders’ Declaration on Strengthening Food Security and Nutrition in Response to Crises, adopted last September, emphasised the commitment to facilitating fishermen’s access to finance to improve the long-term resilience and sustainability of fisheries, the diplomat noted, adding it also stressed the necessity to utilise available resources in ASEAN for food production, especially for small-scale farmers, fishermen and other groups vulnerable to food insecurity.

Delivering the speech of Việt Nam, Ambassador Dũng highlighted the country’s efforts and achievements in fisheries development and gave a brief presentation of Việt Nam's strategy for fisheries development by 2030, with a vision to 2045.

He affirmed that Việt Nam would continue promoting and protecting the rights of workers, especially women, in the fisheries and aquaculture sector. It will assist them to access finance, market information, capital and suitable technology while ensuring stable-income jobs and safe networks for them.

Earlier, at the dialogue with the UN Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights, Minister Counsellor Cung Đức Hân, Deputy Permanent Representative of Việt Nam to the UN, noted the country’s commitment to enhancing cultural rights and inclusive participation in science.

"The Constitution of Việt Nam protects all people’s right to scientific or technological research and literary or art creation, and their entitlement to benefits from those activities," he said.

Echoing the UN Special Rapporteur’s recommendations that aim to boost the effective engagement of vulnerable groups, Hân said that under the socio-economic development strategy for 2021-30 with a vision to 2045, Việt Nam had carried out many initiatives to remove barriers and open up more opportunities for exploration, reform and sustainable development. — VNS