UN Under-Secretary-General Gyan Chandra Acharya (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – UN Under-Secretary-General Gyan Chandra Acharya has appreciated the Vietnamese Government’s consistent assistance to landlocked developing countries through its participation in action programmes.
He had an interview with Vietnam News Agency on the sidelines of the UN high-level meeting for the Euro-Asia region on improving cooperation in transit and trade facilitation and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which took place in Hanoi on March 7.
Gyan Chandra Acharya, who is also High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States, said there are 32 landlocked developing countries and 34 transit countries in the world.
When a country is landlocked, its trade must transit another nation which borders the sea, he said, adding that the UN issued a programme of action for landlocked developing countries, seeking assistance for them to tackle related challenges.
He noted Vietnam’s provision of transit services for its next-door landlocked neighbour Laos as a prime example of transit cooperation.
He also emphasised Vietnam’s active role in developing the East-West Economic Corridor, which also traverses Thailand, Myanmar, and Laos as well as its engagement in the plan on ASEAN connectivity and other plans such as the “One border – One pillar” plan with Laos.
The UN official described those efforts as some illustrations of contributions by Vietnam as a transit country.
At the UN high-level meeting, Vietnam showed its strong commitment to supporting other nations in the region as well as its willingness to learn from other countries around the globe, he added.
When asked about Vietnam’s contributions to the UN, he said the country is actively taking part in the UN’s activities relating to peace and security, development, and human rights. The UN is aware of Vietnam’s role in the UN Economic and Social Council, and its contribution to the realisation of the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement on climate change. Vietnam is also among countries taking the lead in the One UN initiative.
The UN highly values international cooperation efforts by Vietnam, he added.-VNA
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