Permanent Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Minh Vu and UN Resident Coordinator in Vietnam Pauline Tamesis. — Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam and the United Nations (UN) reaffirmed their shared vision of putting people at the heart of all development strategies during a working session between Permanent Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyễn Minh Vũ and UN Resident Coordinator for Việt Nam Pauline Tamesis and heads of UN development agencies in Hà Nội on Friday.

The meeting, held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, focused on major policy directions in Việt Nam’s forthcoming development agenda as reflected in the draft documents to be submitted to the 14th National Party Congress, which are currently being circulated for public feedback.

At the meeting, Vũ briefed the UN side on Việt Nam’s outstanding socio-economic achievements in recent years as well as its long-term strategic development goals. He underlined that these results stem from the strong determination of the Party and the State, supported by far-reaching and strategic reforms, especially the ongoing restructuring of the apparatus and the formulation of strategic breakthrough resolutions.

Highlighting the political significance of the 14th National Party Congress, which will review 40 years of Đổi Mới (Renewal) process and chart the country’s future development vision, Vũ said the draft documents have been thoroughly prepared with many new points. These are grounded in an objective assessment of domestic and global contexts, and embody Việt Nam’s aspiration for rapid, sustainable and comprehensive development.

Key orientations outlined in the draft documents include restructuring the growth model, accelerating industrialisation and modernisation, advancing comprehensive digital transformation, enhancing the performance of the state-owned sector, strengthening the role of the private sector as a key growth driver, promoting breakthroughs in science and technology, further streamlining the state apparatus, and upholding the principle that people are the centre, subject and ultimate goal of all development policies.

Expressing appreciation for the UN’s long-standing support for Việt Nam’s development, Vũ encouraged UN development agencies and international experts to continue contributing their expertise and recommendations to help refine these strategic orientations.

For her part, Pauline Tamesis congratulated Việt Nam on its major socio-economic accomplishments and expressed admiration for the country’s comprehensive development aspiration and long-term strategic vision as reflected in the draft Party Congress documents. She commended Việt Nam’s strong progress in implementing the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and voiced confidence that the country will continue to achieve breakthrough advances in its new era of development, while affirming its increasingly important role in regional and global cooperation mechanisms.

UN development agencies also lauded Việt Nam’s active contributions to addressing global challenges, most recently demonstrated by its successful hosting of the signing ceremony for the UN Convention against Cybercrime. They expressed hope that the draft documents will further affirm Việt Nam’s commitment to multilateralism and to the role of the UN and international organisations.

Representatives of UN agencies in Việt Nam offered a range of assessments and policy recommendations to support the country in maximising development opportunities. These included proposals on development financing, advancing gender equality, protecting vulnerable groups in the digital transformation process, responding to climate change, and strengthening cultural, educational and healthcare initiatives to improve human resources and ensure social security in alignment with sustainable development goals.

They expressed strong confidence in Việt Nam’s long-term growth prospects, affirming that the strategic directions and policy priorities set out in the draft 14th Party Congress documents will form a solid foundation for deeper integration and rapid, sustainable development.

They reiterated their readiness to continue supporting ministries and localities in implementing the Party’s major development orientations through cooperation frameworks and joint projects.

Vũ welcomed the objective and substantive assessments as well as cooperation initiatives offered by the UN agencies, saying that continued cooperation, support and constructive recommendations from the UN and international partners will remain vital to Việt Nam’s efforts to realise its development goals in the years ahead. — VNA/VNS