Deputy Prime Minister Trương Hòa Bình receives UN Resident Co-ordinator in Việt Nam Kamal Malhotra on Wednesday. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam always considers the United Nations (UN) a top priority in the country’s foreign policy, Deputy Prime Minister Trương Hòa Bình said on Wednesday.
Hosting a reception for UN Resident Co-ordinator in Việt Nam Kamal Malhotra and representatives of the UN in the country for UN Day (October 24), Deputy PM Bình stressed that the UN has been a dear friend of Viet Nam since the times of hardship after the war, and the country attaches great importance to co-operative ties with the organisation.
Bình stressed Việt Nam’s stance of supporting UN’s efforts to reform its development network to boost the efficiency of cooperation among countries, assist member states’ development priorities, as well as successfully implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
He held that the Resident Co-ordinator should focus resources for the goal of supporting socio-economic development, thus realising the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly poverty elimination.
The Deputy PM expected that the co-ordinator will work to connect all UN organisations in implementing missions while ensuring autonomy and comparative advantages of each agency.
He took the occasion to ask the UN organisations to forecast and update new trends and possible crises in the region and the world and their impact on Việt Nam.
The Vietnamese Government will continue its cooperation activities with the UN, and create favourable conditions for the UN organisations so that they can carry out projects and programmes in the country in the most effective fashion, he said.
He asked the Government Office, the Ministries of Planning and Investment, Finance, and Foreign Affairs to co-ordinate with competent ministries and sectors to review and outline measures to simplify Official Development Assistance management and reception procedures, as well as approve non-refundable aid projects to take advantage of international support.
On behalf of the UN organisations in Việt Nam, Kamal Malhotra congratulated Việt Nam on its achievements and prestige in the international arena. He thanked the Vietnamese Foreign Ministry for its coordination to organise the Meeting on the UN Development System Reform, and hoped that Việt Nam will be a leading contributor to the system.
The UN will accompany Việt Nam to achieve all SDGs and ensure that no one is left behind, he said, stressing it will support the Southeast Asian country in policies to improve labour capacity and competitiveness to avoid the middle-income trap. VNS