New York (VNA) - A senior Vietnamese diplomat has highlighted Viet Nam’s concern over economic and financial issues faced by developing countries as well as its resolve to fulfill the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
Nguyen Tat Thanh, Deputy Permanent Representative of Viet Nam, made the remarks at the general debate of the Second Committee of the 62nd Session of the UN General Assembly, in New York on October 9.
Regarding the MDGs, Thanh shared the view expressed by the UN Secretary General in his report on the work of the organisation that although remarkable progress has been achieved in the implementation of the MDGs and other internationally agreed development goals, there remains a bitter reality of global imbalances and inequalities.
N early 1 billion people are now still living in extreme poverty, he said, adding that at the same time, there have emerged many pressing global issues, of which epidemics, environmental pollution, natural disasters and climate change have proved to be serious threats to human life.
“Viet Nam holds that, for these issues to be resolved and for the MDGs to be achieved within the originally agreed timeframes, it is high time for concerted international efforts and cooperation in a wide range of areas, including environment, trade, and development finance,” the diplomat stressed.
After speaking about Viet Nam’s commitments to achieving the climate change objectives under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Kyoto Protocol, Thanh expressed his hope that the 13th Conference of Parties to the UNFCCC and the 3rd Meeting of Parties of the Kyoto Protocol, to be held in Bali in December, will lead to a breakthrough and find out practical measures to address the pressing global issue.
Regarding trade, the Vietnamese representative reiterated the need to eliminate all forms of agricultural export subsidies, to enhance market access for goods and services of developing countries, and to facilitate the transfer of technology and knowledge to developing countries.
”For this to be realised, first of all we have to break the impasse of and expeditiously conclude the Doha Development Round negotiations with a real development package,” he said.
Concerning the global finance, Thanh said increased capital flows and financing for development are crucial for developing countries as envisaged in the Monterrey Consensus.
However, he said, evidence indicates that the level of official development assistance (ODA) and development financing remain limited and, in many cases, are subject to conditionality.
Viet Nam believes that the UN continues to have a critical role to play in this endeavor, and that it should become the chief promoter and guarantor of a more open, predictable and equitable multilateral trading system, Thanh added.
He went on to say that Viet Nam attaches great importance to the restructuring and revitalisation of the economic and social systems of the UN and strongly supports initiatives aimed at strengthening the UN and its link to other multinational financial and trade institutions in order to accelerate the implementation of all commitments made by leaders of UN members, especially those on hunger and poverty eradication, sustainable development and financing for development.
” We also strongly support the One UN Initiative, and are determined to work closely with relevant UN partners to make this a reality in Viet Nam in the foreseeable future,” the diplomat concluded.-Enditem
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