The seminar, titled “Launch of the Voluntary National Review and Policy Dialogue towards the SDG Summit 2023: National Commitments and Actions” on Friday. — VNS Photo Anh Đức

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam has made remarkable progress in terms of meeting the sustainable development goals, but more work is needed in a number of areas.

In 2023, the Voluntary National Reviews (VNR) highlighted Việt Nam's significant strides in areas like poverty reduction, provision of clean water, infrastructure development, social equality, institutional reforms, and bolstering international partnerships.

Nonetheless, there remain persistent challenges such as addressing hunger, improving healthcare and education provisions, advancing gender equality, harnessing renewable energy, enhancing labour productivity, and tackling environmental concerns including climate change mitigation and biodiversity conservation.

The VNR 2023 was unveiled at a seminar and discussion on Friday in Hà Nội, organised by the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI), in partnership with the United Nations (UN) and the Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), representing the German government.

“The UN joins hands with the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) and GIZ in organising this dialogue to facilitate the sharing of innovative ideas and recommendations in the formulation of Việt Nam’s National Commitments to SDG Transformation," said Pauline Tamesis, United Nations Resident Coordinator in Việt Nam.

"These commitments will help provide concrete pathways for the Government of Việt Nam and various stakeholders to rescue the SDGs. This dialogue, more importantly, allows us to demonstrate our solidarity and support implementation.”

The gathering saw the attendance of over 100 individuals, encompassing leaders and representatives from central and local ministries, agencies, the national assembly, socio-political entities, NGOs, United Nations branches in Việt Nam, diplomatic entities, development associates, international financial institutions, the business sector, academia, and the press.

The report highlighted that, with respect to Goal 1 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Việt Nam has significantly reduced its multidimensional poverty rate, which dropped from 9.2 per cent in 2016 to 4.3 per cent in 2022. Most benchmarks, like the proportion of households owning durable goods, and those with access to sanitary toilets and clean water sources, are approaching 100 per cent.

However, the solitary criterion that lagged was the percentage of households possessing a sturdy dwelling, which stood at merely 50.3 per cent in 2022.

Regarding gender equality, it's noteworthy that Việt Nam boasts 30.3 per cent of female delegates in its National Assembly. Yet, there was a decrease of 12.8 per cent in female leadership within governmental bodies from 2018 to 2021. In addition, the gender disparity in births remains pronounced, with figures from 2022 indicating a ratio of 115 boys for every 100 girls.

In pursuit of the 2030 UN Agenda, Việt Nam pledges to prioritise investment in human resources, science, technology, and innovation. They aim to bolster infrastructure to boost productivity, advocate for a green and circular economy, and fortify resilience against natural calamities and the impacts of climate change.

The country is focused on refining socialism-oriented market structures, propelling public administration reforms, and endorsing the active involvement of vulnerable segments in the decision-making framework. They are keen to revamp their social protection mechanisms, amplifying the resilience of communities and offering robust support to vulnerable groups.

Additionally, Việt Nam is determined to stabilise its macro-economic underpinnings, persist with support for COVID-19 recovery, channel and amplify the efficacious utilisation of financial means for sustainable progress, and better the accessibility of data to augment the observation of SDG advancements.

To realise the SDGs by 2030, there's a strong emphasis on involving all stakeholders and fostering collaborations with global partners. — VNS