Vietnam vows to achieve Sustainable Development Goals: Diplomat

Vietnamese Ambassador-designate to Thailand and head of the Vietnamese delegation to the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) Pham Viet Hung highlighted Vietnam's commitment to achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) while delivering a speech at the ESCAP’s 80th annual session in Bangkok, Thailand, on April 25.

Hung said Vietnam is strongly committed to the timely completion of the SDGs. In this endeavor, Vietnam has integrated the 2030 Agenda into national development strategies; performed a series of policies on education and social welfare and has made significant progress, particularly in poverty eradication, clean water and sanitation, improving access to quality education, ensuring universal healthcare coverage, creating employment opportunities, and enhancing the coverage of the social security system, industrialisation, innovation and infrastructure development, as well as building peace, justice and fine-tuning institutions.

Highlighting the 2030 Agenda and SDGs as a lodestar for development, green and sustainably recovery in the coming years, the diplomat proposed the continued adoption of a people-centred approach, with the involvement of all relevant stakeholders.

Countries and territories need to prioritise investment in human resources, sci-tech, innovation and infrastructure as tools to pursue the SDGs, including leveraging the role of the youth, especially through digital transformation, innovation and entrepreneurship, he said.

The session, which runs from April 22-26, is currently discussing measures to improve the sustainability of public debts and strengthen sustainable finance to meet the SDGs in the Asia-Pacific.