The World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) General Assembly opened its 59th session in Geneva, Switzerland, on September 30, drawing over 1,000 delegates from 191 member countries.

The Vietnamese delegation was led by Chu Ngoc Anh, Minister of Science and Technology. 

Ambassador Duong Chi Dung, head of Vietnam’s permanent mission in Geneva chaired the event. This is the second year Dung has been honoured to take the presidency of the WIPO General Assembly.

On behalf of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Minister Chu Ngoc Anh spoke at the opening ceremony.

He said the bloc’s economy is projected to expand at 4.9 percent in 2019 despite the sluggish global economic growth and increasing protectionism.

The flow of foreign direct investment (FDI) into the region rose 5.3 percent to reach 154.7 billion USD in 2018, Anh added.

ASEAN is stepping up the implementation of innovation initiatives to catch up with the fourth industrial revolution (Industry 4.0), Anh said.

To support innovation, ASEAN is implementing an action plan on intellectual property in 2016-2025 and has gained remarkable outcomes, he added.

According to the Minister, ASEAN’s intellectual property system is deeply integrated with the world’s, manifested by the participation in some international treaties administered by WIPO.

At this year’s meeting, Vietnam submitted a document to join the Hague agreement concerning the international registration of industrial designs.

Anh also underlined the role of science, technology and innovation in changing growth model and escaping from the middle-income trap for developing countries, including Vietnam.

Recognising the importance of innovation, the Vietnamese Government has promulgated many policies and measures to increase Vietnam’s global innovation index (GII), he said.

As a result, Vietnam’s GII has increased steadily in recent years, leaping three places to the 42nd position in 2018, he added.

In August 2019, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc issued a decision approving the national intellectual property strategy through 2030. Previously in June, the National Assembly passed the law on insurance business and law on intellectual property, according to the Minister.

On the sidelines of the 59th session of the WIPO General Assembly, Minister Chu Ngoc Anh had a working session with WIPO Director General Francis Gurry. 

On behalf of the Vietnamese Government, the Minister presented Vietnam’s document to join the Hague agreement to the WIPO Director General.

With this participation, Vietnam is now a member of all three treaties on international registration for inventions, trademarks and designs administered by WIPO, he said.

Anh also informed about major policies of the Vietnamese Party and State on science, technology, innovation and intellectual property. 

The same day, the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology and the National Office of Intellectual Property of Vietnam signed a cooperation agreement on GII and another on intellectual property environment with WIPO.

The 59th session of the WIPO General Assembly will wrap up on October 9./.

To mark International Coffee Day 2019, CNN Travel has unveiled a list of nine of the best places to get the best coffee around the globe, with Hanoi included on the list.

According to CNN, coffee is part of Vietnam's DNA with the country being one of the biggest producers of beans in the world.

“Don't expect a flat white or an Americano here, though”, notes the website.

CNN travel detailed how Vietnamese coffee is brewed in a traditional filter, dripping into a single cup below. Customers are able to enjoy the drink with traditional sweetened condensed milk. 

A cup of “ca phe trung”, known as egg coffee in English, at Cafe Giang was strongly recommended by CNN.

Other locations around the world that serve the best to coffee include Wellington in New Zealand, Melbourne in Australia, London in the UK, Iceland, Rome in Italy, Singapore, and Seattle in the United States, according to the list released by CNN./.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh said “multilateral cooperation has a special place in Viet Nam’s foreign policy.”

 

Minh made the above statement while addressing the General Debate of the 74^th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on September 28.

The process of reform, development, and international integration is closely associated with Viet Nam’s participation into global and regional multilateral institutions, he emphasized.

He added that the assistance of the UN and other international organizations helped Viet Nam rebuild our country after decades of war.

Minh went on to say that the United Nations and multilateral forums have provided Viet Nam with important political and legal platforms to expand our cooperation with nations of the world.

As an active and constructive partner in multilateral processes, Viet Nam is working with other ASEAN Member States to enhance ASEAN’s centrality in promoting peace, security and prosperity in Southeast Asia and the Asia-Pacific region.

In the United Nations, members of the Viet Nam People’s Army have joined the Organization’s peacekeeping operations while Vietnamese diplomats and experts have contributed substantively to the development of United Nations agendas and policies on sustainable development, oceans and seas, human rights, amongst others.

Viet Nam is strongly committed to the full implementation of the 2030 Agenda and Paris Agreement, and in particular is taking concrete steps to end single-use plastics by 2025, Minh affirmed.

He took the occasion to share his thoughts on how to revitalize multilateralism given today’s daunting challenges.

The Vietnamese leader stressed that the international community must all reaffirm the fundamental importance of international law and the UN Charter in international relations and multilateral cooperation.

International law is the foundation of equal relation among states and their actions must be in line with and guided by respect for international law.

Minh expressed his belief that respect for international law is the most effective measure to prevent conflicts and to seek sustainable solutions for disputes.

He voiced support for all efforts to settle disputes by peaceful means in accordance with the UN Charter and international law, including negotiation, conciliation and judicial settlement.

Minh urged relevant parties in the East Sea to respect international law, especially the United Nations Convention on Law of the Sea 1982 (UNCLOS), appropriately referred to as the “Constitution for the Oceans”.

He expressed his belief that linking the Indian and Pacific Oceans, the East Sea is strategically important to peace, security and prosperity in the Asia – Pacific region.

However, Viet Nam has on many occasions voiced its concerns over the recent complicated developments in the East Sea, including serious incidents that infringe upon Viet Nam’s sovereign rights and jurisdiction in our maritime zones as defined by UNCLOS, Minh said.  

Relevant States should exercise self-restraint and refrain from conducting unilateral acts which may complicate or escalate tensions at sea, and settle disputes by peaceful means in accordance with international law, including the UNCLOS, he underlined./.

Over the long course of the nuclear age, millions of people around the world, often led by a young generation of clear-eyed activists, have stood up to demand meaningful, immediate international action to halt, reduce, and end the threat posed by nuclear weapons to humankind and the planet.

Today, a new generation is mobilizing to demand dramatic action to address another existential threat: the human-induced climate emergency. The scientific consensus is that climate change causes and impacts are increasing, and little more than a decade is left to take the bold steps necessary to cut global carbon emissions in half and reverse the slide toward catastrophe.

The disarmament movement has achieved success in reducing nuclear dangers before, but there is no room for complacency. The nuclear threat has not gone away. Nuclear competition is growing. The risk of nuclear war is increasing.

Just as dramatic action is needed to avoid climate change catastrophe, immediate and decisive action is required to counter the growing threat of nuclear war before it is too late.

A qualitative global nuclear arms race is now underway. The world's nine nuclear-armed actors are collectively squandering hundreds of billions of dollars to maintain and improve their arsenals. Tensions between nuclear-armed states are on the rise. Key treaties are under threat.

With the loss of the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty in August, the only remaining treaty verifiably limiting the world's two largest arsenals is the 2010 New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START), which is due to expire in less than 17 months.

Washington and Moscow are pursuing the development of destabilizing types of weapons, including new lower-yield, "more usable" nuclear weapons. Each side still clings to Cold War-era nuclear launch-under-attack postures that increase the risk of miscalculation.

The use of nuclear weapons—even on a so-called "limited" scale—creates the potential for global catastrophe. A new simulation developed by scientists at Princeton University estimates that if, in a U.S.-Russian confrontation in the Baltics, one side resorts to the "tactical" use of nuclear weapons and the other responds, their current war plans could lead to an escalatory exchange involving 1,700 nuclear detonations against military and civilian targets.

Within five hours, nearly 100 million people would be killed or injured.

Many more people would suffer and die in the weeks and months afterward. A new study of the longer-term climatic effects of a large-scale U.S.-Russian nuclear exchange estimates that the resulting fallout and fires would inject 150 million metric tons of soot and smoke into the earth's upper atmosphere within two weeks, resulting in a drop in global temperatures of 9 degrees Celsius and a 30 percent drop in precipitation within 12 months.

The resulting nuclear winter would wreak havoc on food production and lead to global famine.

Effective policies to address the nuclear threat must begin with the understanding that the only way to eliminate the threat of nuclear war is to eliminate nuclear weapons. The 2017 Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons is a crucial step in this direction, but it is not an all-in-one solution to reduce today's nuclear dangers.

Leading nuclear and non-nuclear states need to take overdue, common-sense steps necessary to halt and reverse the arms race, reduce the salience of nuclear weapons, eliminate the most destabilizing types of weapons, and create the conditions for nuclear disarmament.

To start, all nuclear-armed states should reaffirm the 1985 pledge made by Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and U.S. President Ronald Reagan that "a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought."

The Kremlin has recently proposed that U.S. and Russian leaders reissue a joint statement along these lines, but Washington has demurred.

Nuclear-armed states should agree to adopt policies that reduce nuclear risks, such as no first use of nuclear weapons. Given the risks of escalation, there is no plausible circumstance that could justify legally, morally, or militarily the use of nuclear weapons to deal with a non-nuclear threat.

Washington and Moscow also should extend New START by five years as allowed by the treaty and immediately begin talks on a follow-on deal to set lower limits on all types of nuclear weaponry, including nonstrategic nuclear weapons; a new agreement dealing with ground-launched, intermediate-range systems; and new restrictions on destabilizing missile defense deployments and long-range hypersonic weapons.

Further U.S.-Russian progress on disarmament would pressure the other nuclear actors, including China, to agree to freeze the overall size of their smaller but still deadly nuclear arsenals and agree to joint nuclear risk-reduction measures, such as ratification of the 1996 Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, and join talks on nuclear disarmament.

The catastrophic consequences of failure on climate change and nuclear weapons are well documented, the steps necessary to mitigate the risks are well known, and the public demand for action is powerful. But the political will to take action is weak.

To give future generations the chance to eliminate the nuclear danger, our generation must act decisively to reduce the threat of nuclear war and put us back on the path to global zero.

A corner of Hanoi from above

The capital city of Hanoi recorded impressive socio-economic development results in the first nine months of this year, with a gross domestic product (GDP) growth of 7.35 percent, up from the 6.95 percent expansion recorded in the same period last year.
The information was revealed by Director of the municipal Department of Planning and Investment Nguyen Manh Quyen at an October 1 teleconference to review the city’s performance in the third quarter and the first nine months as well as launch tasks for the rest of the year.

The city welcomed 21.55 million tourists during the nine-month period, a rise of 9.5 percent year-on-year. Among those, 4.71 million were foreigners, up 10.1 percent.

Especially, Hanoi led cities and provinces nationwide in receiving foreign direct investment (FDI) by luring 6.23 billion USD, or 23.5 percent of the total FDI that Vietnam got in the period, Quyen said.

Its total social investment hit 245.8 trillion VND (10.63 billion USD), a year-on-year increase of 12.9 percent, he added.

Regarding the new-style rural area building, six districts and 325 out of 386 communes or 84.2 percent were recognized as new-style rural areas. Three communes satisfied advanced criteria for new-style countryside.

Hanoi’s total State budget revenue was estimated at over 185 trillion VND (8 billion USD), equaling to 70.3 percent of the estimate and up 14.3 percent compared to the same period last year.

The urban management and development continued to be enhanced, with 57 out of 68 projects approved. The city also paid attention to protecting the lake and river environments and maintaining waste collection.

The social and cultural work received due attention while social security was ensured.

Besides the achievements gained, Hanoi also revealed many shortcomings such as slow equitisation and divestment, low disbursement, worsening air quality and increasing traffic congestion, among others.

Concluding the teleconference, Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Nguyen Duc Chung asked departments, agencies, districts and towns to focus on taking measures to realise all socio-economic development targets set for 2019.

Earlier in January, the municipal People’s Committee set 22 targets for the city’s socio-economic development in 2019, focusing on State budget restructuring, improvement of its investment and business environment, and promotion of the innovation and startup ecosystem.

The capital city’s gross regional domestic product (GRDP) is planned at 7.4-7.6 percent in 2019 and export growth is projected at 7.5-8 percent.

In 2018, the capital city accomplished all 20 socio-economic development targets. Its GRDP increased 7.61 percent, highest in the last three years, and export grew 21.6 percent (much higher than its initial target of 7.5-8 per cent). The city’s foreign investment attraction topped the country for the first time after more than 30 years, expected at 5.6 billion USD.

According to the city’s action programme on socio-economic development and State budget estimation in 2019, this year is a turning point to complete the five-year plan for 2016-20. This has great importance in the context of complicated and unpredictable developments in the region and the world.

The programme focuses on nine tasks and solutions, with priority given to improving the quality of the local investment and business environment, as well as encouraging and promoting innovation and startups.

Enterprises in the locality will be developed in both quantity and quality.

The city will continue its economic restructuring in association with a changing growth model and improving productivity, efficiency and competitiveness.

The programme emphasises the task of restructuring the State budget, focusing on efficient tax collection, fight revenue losses, especially having measures to collect tax arrears, detect and handle price transfer actions, and closely monitor movements on the forex market to ensure the implementation of business and import-export plans.

Other priorities include urban planning and development, application of information technology in administration and management, stepping up administrative reform, downsizing payrolls, drastic anti-corruption and wastefulness, development of education, healthcare services and culture, ensuring national defence and social order, as well as improving the efficiency of foreign affairs and international integration./.

Society should have a more positive look at ageing population, and work to turn its challenges into opportunities as well as enhance the understanding of momentum of an aging society, heard a forum in Hanoi on September 30.
Society should have a more positive look at ageing population, and work to turn its challenges into opportunities as well as enhance the understanding of momentum of an aging society, heard a forum in Hanoi on September 30.

“The Journey to Age Equality” forum was held by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in collaboration with the Vietnam Association of the Elderly (VAE), the Ministry of Health’s General Office for Population Family Planning, and HelpAge International. It was part of activities in response to International Day of Older Persons (October 1).

Addressing at the event, VAE Vice President Dam Huu Dac said Vietnam is among the fastest ageing countries in Asia. As it takes 17-20 years to transition from an aging to an aged society, the country has faced thorny problems in outlining rational policies for the elderly, many of whom are having difficult lives and need support from the State, families and community.

Meanwhile, UNFPA Representative in Vietnam Naomi Kitahara said ageing population cannot be ignored to achieve the integrated 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, and all countries worldwide, including Vietnam, must be well-prepared for an ageing world.

Vietnam should have a new model that aligns ageing population with socio-economic growth, while ensuring social integration for the elderly, she stressed.

Participants at the forum, who are in three groups of over sixty, forty and twenty years-old, shared inspiring stories to change social norms and negative prejudice about the elderly. They all agreed that older persons can make positive contributions to society.

A photo exhibition featuring relations between population and sustainable development was organised in the framework of the forum.

Population ageing is poised to become one of the most significant social transformations of the 21st century. One in nine people in the world is aged 60 or over, and by 2050, one in five people could be aged 60 or over. During 2015-2030, the number of old persons is forecast to surge 56 percent, from 901 million to 1.4 billion. By 2030, persons aged 60 or above will outnumber people aged 15-24.

Vietnam officially entered the phase of ageing population in 2011, and is among the most rapidly ageing countries in the world. In 2017, the number of old persons accounted for 11.9 percent of the total population, which means one among nine persons was over 60.

According to the General Statistics Office, the number of people over 60 years old is expected to reach over 21 million, or 20 percent of the total population by 2038, and 27 million, or 25 percent of the total by 2050./.

Illustrative image

 A survey on the socio-economic situation of 53 ethnic minority groups of Vietnam will be launched on October 1, announced the General Statistics Office (GSO).

The survey is designed to compile national targets and indicators on ethnic minority affairs, serving the making of policies on socio-economic development in ethnic minority-inhabited regions in the 2021-2025 period.

The results will also serve as a foundation to update the database on Vietnam’s ethnic minority groups.

The survey will be opt for 540,740 households in 14,659 localities nationwide. It is expected to wrap up on October 31.

The survey will investigate general information about the population, fertility rate of female aged 10-14 and 15-49, death rate in the past 12 months, housing and living conditions, as well as heads of main livestock and access to public services.

It is set to look into information of communes across the country, infrastructure use in each locality, and working conditions, among others.

The first survey of its kind was conducted by the GSO and the Government’s Committee for Ethnic Minority Affairs in August 2015./.

Hanoi city

Minister and Chairman of the Government Office Mai Tien Dung on October 2 affirmed that Vietnam has achieved the highest gross domestic product growth in the past nine years.

Chairing a press conference in Hanoi following the Government’s meeting for September, the official said the Vietnamese economy continues showing positive signs with falling public and foreign debts.

He attributed the growth to drastic measures to facilitate the private sector and the attraction of a record 14.2 billion USD of foreign direct investment. 

Dung said the Prime Minister has directed departments and agencies to continue fixing existing shortcomings.

According to him, the Government paid attention to improving business environment and asked ministries and agencies to devise specific action programmes for the implementation of the Politburo’s Resolution No.50 and the Resolution on Industry 4.0.

The PM requested cutting unnecessary requirements to create a better business environment, he added.

Many topics were raised at the event such as the operation of the Cat Linh – Ha Dong elevated railway, environment pollution in urban areas, and fraud in real estate transactions.

Deputy Transport Minister Nguyen Ngoc Dong said it has yet to confirm when the railway will be put into use, adding that the Transport Ministry is working closely with the contractor and Hanoi authorities on the issue./.