Ha Noi (VNA) – The United Nations will continue to work with the Vietnamese Government to improve the quality of public administration and to develop legal and judicial systems that are impartial, professional and efficient, said the UN Resident Coordinator in Viet Nam.
In a recent interview granted to the Viet Nam News Agency reporter, UN Resident Coordinator John Hendra added that the UN is also working with the Vietnamese Government to develop democratic institutions to the public involved in the making of the decisions that affect their lives.”
The UN official took the occasion to express his impression on the dynamism of the newly elected Government, saying the Government “understands that Viet Nam needs to compete in the international context.”
“This is a Government that is outward-looking and comfortable with reform. The Government is well aware of the diverse challenges facing the country at this critical time of change and opportunity,” he elaborated.
However, the UN official pointed out major challenges for the Vietnamese Government such as poverty reduction, economic change, anti-corruption, education issues, environmental degradation and epidemics.
He said: “While Viet Nam has made remarkable progress in poverty reduction, lifting the remaining fifth of the population out of poverty in the coming years will not be easy.” He suggested that greater attention need to be given to people living in remote and mountainous areas, particularly ethnic minorities.
“Economic change implies risks as well,” the UN official added, saying that the country must carefully manage financial system development to ensure that the economy mobilizes capital for investment but at the same time protects the public from risks inherent to modern banking and capital markets. “Rising inequality is another risk of rapid economic change as it can slow the rate of poverty reduction and erode social and political cohesion,” he noted.
The UN coordinator also singled out the nation’s good progress in putting in place the legal framework for anti-corruption efforts but winning the fight against corruption is essential if Viet Nam is going to continue to achieve high rates of economic growth as well as maintain stability.
“Education must certainly also be near the top of the Government’s agenda,” he said, noting that the country will not be able to compete in the international economy without a highly skilled and healthy workforce.
He went on to say: “Environmental degradation is also a high risk to sustain economic growth. Public investment, taxation, regulation, and increased public awareness and participation are needed to protect the environment and to ensure that exploitation of the country’s natural resources benefits everyone, not just the privileged few. However, much remains to be done to implement environmental laws, strategies and global conventions, and improve environmental governance in order to ensure that fast economic growth will not lead to environmental degradation.”
Furthermore, the Vietnamese Government and people need also to remain vigilant against the avian influenza epidemic. The spread of HIV/AIDS represents another challenge to sustained development progress in the country, he said.-Enditem |