Vietnam, like all other countries in the world, always consider sustainable development one of the top priorities, said State President Nguyen Minh Triet.

The Vietnamese State leader made the statement at a round-table discussion entitled “Accelerating Sustainable Development”, one of the six talks at the UN Summit on Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), in New York on September 21 (local time).

Sharing concern with the international community on climate change situation, including changes in water resources, President Triet suggested countries and international organisations have strategies to ensure the reasonable, effective and sustainable use of water resources because this is one of the vital issues for social security and the stability of each region.

“Vietnam shares Mekong river water with many other countries, therefore it will coordinate with regional countries to exploit and use the resource in a rational way for the benefits of the people and the sustainable development of the countries,” he stated.

According to Triet, economic development not only means macroeconomic stability and high economic growth but also ensuring economic security and improvement of growth quality, including investment efficiency.

At the national scale, economic development should be combined harmoniously with implementing social equality, poverty reduction, energy-saving and environmentally-friendly production and consumption as well as actively preventing natural disasters and coping with climate change, he stressed.

On the global scale, to ensure sustainable development, the international community should reshuffle the international financial and economic system which has exposed many shortcomings, resulting the economic-financial crisis that is affecting countries throughout the world, Triet said.

He also urged the international community to urgently address food and energy security issues, strive for economic recovery and increase assistance in order to minimise the impacts of the crisis on developing countries, as well as conclude international negotiations on trade and climate change.

The Vietnamese leader called on countries to expand cooperation, strive for peace, effectively implement commitments and action progrmames for sustainable development for the common interests of all nations as well as for the better life of future generations.

Over the past ten years, Vietnam, with its relatively high economic growth, effective socio-economic policies and concerted efforts, has recorded numerous achievements and been recognised by the UN and the international community as a successful and leading country in implementing the MDGs in the Asia-Pacific region.

According to the latest report of the UN Economic and Social Committee for Asia-Pacific (ESCAP), Vietnam has fulfilled 90 percent of MDGs, taking the lead in Southeast Asia .

The country attained an annual GDP growth rate of 7.2 percent during the 2000-2010 period and its per-capita GDP is expected to reach some 1,200 USD in 2010, tripling the figure of ten years ago.

With these achievements, Vietnam has shifted from the group of the poorest countries to the group of lower middle-income countries.

Together with economic development, the country has paid special attention and prioritised all resources for poverty reduction and social development./.