Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung held separate working sessions with leaders of United Nations (UN) organisations on September 27 in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.

During a meeting with UN Development Progamme (UNDP) Administrator Helen Clark, the PM spoke highly of the agency’s key role in promoting the implementation of the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

He said it has helped Vietnam reach its targets by providing consultancy on macro-economic policy, sustainable socio-economic development and institutional capacity enhancement, adding that it has also coordinated development partners to implement the One-UN Initiative.

For her part, Clark hailed the country’s poverty reduction achievements, especially the implementation of the MDGs in Vietnam, expressing her wish that the country will jointly work with the agency in building new goals in line with the situation after 2015.

The UNDP has pledged to promote ongoing or upcoming projects in Vietnam with a total investment of 140 million USD, she added.

She said she will visit Vietnam in November to chair a meeting of heads of UNDP offices in Asia and the Pacific held in Hanoi.

While meeting with Anthony Lake, UNICEF Executive Director, PM Dung praised the agency’s support to Vietnam, affirming that the nation wishes to increase their cooperation further. He pledged that issues relating to women and children will be a key part of Vietnam’s development agenda after 2015.

The UNICEF official said his organisation will closely work with Vietnam in health care, education and child care, as well as support measures and consultation on building a long-term strategy on child-related issues.

Later, the PM met the Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Babatunde Osotimehine and emphasised the country’s willingness to coordinate with UNFPA to promote its strategic priorities at UN forums, including preparations for a special session on population at the 69 th UN General Assembly.

He praised UNFPA for its help in aiding poverty reduction and the implementation of MDGs in Vietnam.
Osotimehine affirmed that his organisation will continue to support Vietnam in the fields of population control, family planning and reproductive health while implementing the 2014-17 UNFPA Strategic Plan.-VNA