Ambassador Le Thi Tuyet Mai Geneva (VNA) – Vietnam highly values the important role of the South Centre and continues supporting the centre in boosting cooperation between developing countries and implementing joint actions to handle global issues towards the realisation of sustainable development goals (SDGs).
Ambassador Le Thi Tuyet Mai, head of the Vietnamese Permanent Mission of Vietnam to the United Nations, World Trade Organisation (WTO), and other international organisations, made the statement at the 21st meeting of the Council of Representatives of the member States of the South Centre held online in Geneva on February 11.
Ambassador Mai expressed her thanks and congratulated the Board, Executive Director and South Centre on their recent activities to support developing countries to effectively take part in international negotiation processes as well as build capacity at national and regional level, especially promote cooperation between developing countries in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and other global challenges, towards meeting SDGs.
She took this occasion to thank the centre and Executive Director Carlos Correa for their support to Vietnam to organise an online training seminar for Vietnamese experts on intellectual property in pharmaceuticals last December amidst the pandemic.
She said in the COVID-19 fight, Vietnam has closely coordinated with ASEAN member countries and the international community to save patients, support vulnerable groups and promote post-pandemic recovery.
At the meeting, Executive Director Carlos Carrea underlined the pandemic’s impacts on developing countries’ efforts in implementing the 2030 Agenda and SDGs as well as the necessity to build multilateral consensus to cope with the current health crisis, ensure vaccine distribution in a fair and equal manner to developing countries, eliminate poverty, and meet other demands of developing countries in the post-pandemic period.
Correa shared the centre’s action plan for the 2021-23 period, focusing on enhancement of capacity for developing countries in South-South cooperation; improvement of financial mobilisation and shifting to digital economy of developing countries; reform of WTO towards respecting multilateral commitments and encouraging preferences for developing countries; improvement of international investment regulations; promotion of international actions in coping with global challenges such as climate change, biodiversification, human rights and other issues of shared interests of developing countries.
Chairperson of the centre for 2018-21 period Thabo Mvuyelwa Mbeki said in the context ò financial difficulties due to COVID-19, the centre still balance its budget thanks contributions of the member countries and other assistance resources, so that the centre’s operations are maintained.
Representatives of the centre’s countries congratulated the centre’s achievements over the past 25 years, while appreciating the centre’s role in promoting South-South cooperation, North-South dialogue, as well as promoting multilateralism, response to the COVID-19 pandemic and other challenges to developing countries.
The meeting also discussed priority orientations of the centre in the coming time.
Established in 1995, the South Centre with headquarters in Geneva has 54 developing countries, including Vietnam, as members./.
VNA
