Permanent Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh (L) and UN Secretary-General Antonió Guterres. (Photo: VGP) During their meeting on the sidelines of the high-level week of the 77th UN General Assembly (UNGA 77) in New York, Guterres appreciated Vietnam's active and responsible contributions to the common affairs of the largest global organisation in recent years, hoping that the country will promote its role and contribute more to addressing global issues.
Minh, for his part, emphasised that Vietnam always backs multilateralism and the central role of the United Nations in global governance and coordination of efforts to address common challenges.
More efforts should be made to help the UN operate more effectively and with sufficient resources to best meet the needs and expectations of member states, he said.
The Deputy PM reaffirmed Vietnam's commitment to working with member countries and UN leaders to advance important common agendas, from the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals to peacekeeping operations in different regions of the world.
Vietnam is actively implementing its commitments at the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) to net zero emissions by 2050, Minh stated, proposing the UN actively support the process of building the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP).
At a meeting with President of UNGA 77 Csaba Korosi, Minh appreciated Korosi's selection of the topic and priorities, affirming that Vietnam, as Vice President of the UNGA, will actively support and contribute to the success of the session.
Korosi asserted that the UN appreciates Vietnam's contributions and thanks the country for its active role in the implementation of the SDGs. Vietnam is a role model of economic growth associated with environmental protection, he stressed.
He also shared his priority on water resource management and wished to cooperate with Vietnam in this field, as it is necessary to promote measures to prevent water crises, build a water-related database at regional and global levels, and connect national policies on water and climate change.
The UNGA President showed his hope that Vietnam will actively participate in and share its experience at the UN Water Conference in March 2023.
Agreeing with the UNGA President’s initiatives and proposals, and sharing his special concern over water management, Minh said that Vietnam always considers water an important security issue due to many impacts of droughts, floods, sea level rise and the development and over-exploitation of water resources.
Vietnam is determined not to sacrifice the environment in exchange for economic growth, but there should be a balance between economic development and environmental protection, he stressed./.
VNA
