Vietnam, a developing country, has exerted great
efforts in achieving the UN Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs) and enjoyed fruitful results, said
Professor Carl Thayer from
the University of New South Wales (UNSW).
He cited the United Nations report in 2021 as saying that Vietnam is on the way
to completing SDG 1 on poverty elimination.
Although the country is facing many challenges for SDG 2 on ending hunger, the
country has shown certain improvements, he noted.
According to the report, Vietnam is ranked 51th among 165 countries in the SDG
index, with a country score of 72.8. The country’s spillover is 96.4.
Overall, Vietnam, a developing country, has considerable experience in
implementing the UN SDGs and can provide practical policy advice on issues
affecting comprehensive human rights globally
and regionally, Thayer underlined.
He highlighted Vietnam’s major contributions in the fight against COVID-19,
saying that the country has worked hard to respond to the pandemic and protect
public health and ensure healthcare services, while maintaining economic growth
and social stability, he said.
Besides, as the Chair of ASEAN, Vietnam took the lead in organising online
meetings among relevant ministers from member countries, showing its leading
role in creating consensus in the region and measures to respond to the
pandemic, said Thayer.
At the UN General
Assembly, the Vietnamese leader, on behalf of developing countries,
urged equality in vaccine access and the transfer of intellectual property
rights in vaccine production to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Vietnam was chosen as the location of the Regional Center for Disease Control,
he added.
Regarding socio-economic progress in Vietnam, the professor highlighted that
Vietnam's economic strategy is closely linked to the comprehensive growth and
poverty reduction strategy launched in 2002. Vietnam has significantly reduced
the poverty rate from 58% in 1992 to 15.5% in 2008, and 7.6% in 2013. Following
the new criteria, the poverty rate of Vietnam in 2020 was 2.75%, with the
living conditions of people in mountainous localities and ethnic
minority-inhabited areas considerably improved.
In the first quarter of 2022, Vietnam recorded growth of 5.03%, and drew nearly
16.9 million USD in foreign direct investment. In the first eight months of
this year, the investment hit a new record of nearly 16.8 billion USD.
Meanwhile, the country’s export revenue was estimated at over 371 billion USD,
up about 9.5% year-on-year, he said, adding that the figures reflected the
confidence of the world business community in Vietnam. The country’s capacity
in controlling COVID-19 and its political stability have created good
conditions for Vietnam’s economic recovery, he asserted.
Last year, the Global Women's Summit honoured Vietnam with the Country
Leadership Award in recognition for its efforts and achievements in advancing
gender equality and women’s empowerment over the past two decades./.
All comments [ 20 ]
Pursuing its dream of prosperity over the next decade, Vietnam may reach some of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals by revitalising global partnerships for sustainable development.
Vietnam is expected to achieve at least five of the 17 goals (SDGs) by 2030 on poverty, hunger, quality education, climate action, and global partnerships.
We are doing our utmost to utilise all relationships to receive as many vaccines as possible. However, we should further accelerate the vaccination ratio to become a foundation for the economic recovery, and then mobilise more resources for SDG implementation.
We should boost social welfare by ensuring the minimum conditions for all people in every situation, as well as improve the resilience of every person amid the current crisis to maintain the outcome of SDG implementation and further enhance performance in this area.
In terms of global partnerships, Vietnam to date has established relations with 30 key partners, including 17 strategic partnerships and 13 comprehensive ones.
Vietnam has made progress in international economic integration through the full implementation of its international commitments and pursuing strategies to join free trade zones with important economic partners, as well as new-generation trade deals and membership of many regional and global forums.
Despite the pandemic outbreaks this year, the country’s trade turnover still reports positive growth and is expected to reach robust growth in latter months of the year, deemed an important factor in contributing to the annual GDP growth of Vietnam in recent years as well as to the accomplishment of Goal 17.
With the great efforts and strong determination of the whole political system, Vietnam is set to achieve the SDG on strengthening the means of implementation and revitalising global partnerships for sustainable development by 2030, in addition to reaching encouraging results in SDG implementation overall.
At the end of the last decade, Vietnam had numerous achievements in SDG implementation and was recognised by international organisations.
Vietnam should utilise more resources and efforts to overcome such burdens, and encourage the participation of all stakeholders to continuously achieve success in SDG implementation.
It is necessary to review the progress of the 5-year implementation of the SDGs, and take steps for socioeconomic recovery and building back better for vulnerable populations.
We need to double our efforts towards the protection of humans from harmful pollutants and chemicals, resulting from Vietnam’s industrialisation.
We also need to strengthen the protection of vulnerable groups such as children, women, migrant workers, people with disabilities, elderly, as well as gender-based violence, exploitation, abuse, and discrimination.
There is no doubt that the government is taking the safety and security of people very seriously, with comprehensive measures put in place.
Việt Nam should strive to turn challenges into actions and opportunities, and better engagement of relevant stakeholders to maintain the successes achieved to date and ensure the achievements of the remaining SDGs by 2030.
Vietnam is very well placed within Asia in terms of the general progress in implementing the Sustainable Development Goals.
The government has plans to make sure it is also implemented at the provincial level, so it filters down in a very real way to local decision makers as well, to use this as part of their planning process.
Vietnam needs to mobilize more and more support from the international community to invest in what it is trying to achieve.
Vietnam has many advantages in implementing SDGs, such as high political determination, stable political security and social order. In addition, Vietnam is experienced in implementing the Millennium development goals, with its prestige and national position increasingly enhanced in the international arena.
With its role and function, the Government strives and is determined in operating and deciding on fast and sustainable development targets and programs.
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