(VOVworld) – Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh led the Vietnamese delegation to the 71^st UN General Assembly session, which concluded on September 26. The Vietnamese delegates participated in negotiating and preparing important documents of the session.

Ambassador Nguyen Phuong Nga, head of the Vietnam mission to the UN, said Vietnam and other UN members discussed the implementation of major goals, including the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Addis Ababa Plan of Action on Finance for Development, the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh addressed the UN General Assembly

At the plenary session of the General Assembly and the meeting to mark the 30^th anniversary of the Declaration on the Right to Development, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh underscored Vietnam’s message on the need to “increase multilateralism and abide by international law for peace, cooperation, and development.” He said Vietnam appreciated the role and activities of the UN and hoped that the UN will fulfill its central role in achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and advocating respect for international law. Mr. Minh shared Vietnam’s experience in implementing the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), pledging to realise the 2030 Agenda and calling on developed countries to be pioneers in helping developing countries, including Vietnam, in finance, capacity building, transfer of technology, and trade facilitation.

The Vietnamese top diplomat said Vietnam realises that the 2030 Agenda fully matches its development policies and the successful realisation of SDGs will steer Vietnam towards strong and peaceful development and help enhance Vietnam’s global position. Vietnam has adopted the national strategy for sustainable development in the 2011-2020 period. Its socio-economic development plans in the 2016-2020 period incorporate SDGs: by 2020 80% of the population will be covered by health insurance , 95% of the urban population and 90% of the rural population will have clean water, and forests coverage will reach 40%. Vietnam is finalizing a national plan of action to implement SDGs, which have been widely publicised.