PM welcomes new UN Resident Coordinator in Vietnam

Hanoi (VNA) – Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc wished Kamal Malhotra, new UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative to Vietnam, a successful term at a meeting in Hanoi on January 23.

Welcoming Malhotra to Vietnam, PM Phuc said his country attaches special importance to relations with the UN and will remain an active and responsible member of the UN and the international community, thereby contributing to peace, security and development in the region and the world.

He described the current period as important to bilateral ties, especially 2017 which marks 40 years of Vietnam’s UN membership.

Vietnam hopes the UN will continue bringing into play its role in keeping global peace and security, promoting respect to international law, and assisting countries to implement cooperation and development programmes, including the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement on climate change, he added.

For his part, Malhotra expressed his honour to be assigned to Vietnam, noting that the UN highly valued Vietnam’s role and stature in this organisation and the global arena.

He congratulated the country on socio-economic achievements after more than three decades of Doi moi (reforms). It is also one of the leading countries in fulfilling the Millennium Development Goals ahead of schedule.

He also welcomed Vietnam’s proactive, active and effective participation in UN activities such as peacekeeping operations, the Human Rights Council and the Economic and Social Council.

As the UN Resident Coordinator and the UNDP Resident Representative, Malhotra pledged to work closely with Vietnamese and UN agencies to foster ties between the UN and Vietnam, successfully carry out cooperation and development activities, and fulfill Sustainable Development Goals.-VNA