Vietnam continues to play a very active role within the UnitedNations, Ms Pratibha Mehta, UN Resident Coordinator in Vietnam hassaid in a recent exclusive interview with the Vietnam News Agency.
Theinterview occasioned the 67th founding anniversary of the UN and the35th anniversary of Vietnam-UN partnership.
Talking about theprogress of the partnership between Vietnam and the UN over more thanthree decades, the UN Resident Coordinator said: “The UN has a longhistory as a key partner in Vietnam ’s development, ever sinceVietnam became the 149 th member state of the UN on September 20,1977.
In the early years of hardship and post-warreconstruction, UN agencies were on the ground providing assistance toVietnam’s rebuilding efforts. As the ‘doi moi’ reforms began totake hold, the UN provided a gateway, connecting Vietnam withinternational expertise, knowledge and technical assistance andsupported the country’s development progress – thereby improving thelives of millions of Vietnamese.
In recent years, the role ofthe UN in Vietnam has evolved. Increasingly, we are focusing onproviding policy advice, helping Vietnam attain global standards andmeet its commitments to international agreements, and supporting itsaspiration to be internationally integrated.
Vietnamcontinues to play a very active role within the UN. Both the former UNSecretary-General, Kofi Annan, as well as the current Secretary-General,Ban Ki-moon, have visited the country. Vietnam has alsosuccessfully served as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Councilduring the 2008-2009 term, and suggested new ways of working within theCouncil.
Vietnam also plays a key role in efforts to reformthe UN system, including the UN development system.
Selected asone of eight pilot countries in 2006, Vietnam is a leading exampleof the ‘Delivering as One’ reform initiative. This initiative aims tomake the UN system in Vietnam work more efficiently and effectivelytogether, thereby helping us to deliver better development results forthe people of Vietnam . The success of the initiative here is inlarge part due to the strong commitment and leadership by theGovernment.
Earlier this year, Vietnam and the UN signed theOne Plan for 2012-2016. This plan outlines the three key areas wherethe UN will provide support to Vietnam and its citizens over thenext five years. The three areas are: inclusive, equitable andsustainable growth; access to quality essential services and socialprotection; and governance and participation. The One Plan focuses onthe principles of equity and inclusiveness and aims to make sure thatall the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are achieved in all parts ofVietnam .”
Regarding the country’s implementation of MDGs,the UN official noted, “ Vietnam is one of a handful of countriesto have made significant progress towards achieving the MDGs. Thisprogress was recognised by the international community at the 2010Global Summit on the MDGs, where Vietnam ranked sixth in terms ofboth absolute and relative progress.
Vietnam has madesignificant achievements in areas such as poverty reduction,education, gender equality and child health.
In the area ofpoverty reduction, for example, Vietnam has managed to halve thepoverty rate from 58.1 percent in 1993 to 28.9 percent in 2002 and thento 12.3 percent in 2008. And between 1990 and 2006 , infant mortalityand under-five mortality was also halved. These are impressiveachievements.”
However, she also pointed the two goals thatVietnam is currently lagging behind, including MDG 6 on HIV/AIDS andMDG 7 on environmental sustainability.
She said “HIV is a concernbecause barriers to HIV services uptake, including the non-availabilityof a standardised package of services and stigma and discrimination,are still allowing the virus to spread in silence. In order to furtherscale up measures to halt and reverse the spread of HIV, Vietnamwill need to prioritise funding on HIV prevention for key populationgroups and ensure the sustainability of the national response to HIV.
Inthe area of MDG 7 on environmental sustainability, there are stilldifferences in access to clean water and sanitation between regions andamong urban and rural areas. For instance, while 93.8 percent of urbandwellers use improved latrines, the figure for the rural population is71.5 percent.”
Mehta also talked about issues that Vietnamfaced even for the MDGs where the country had made good progress.
Shesaid, “The poorest, mountainous communes and districts where manyethnic minority people live lag behind in almost all MDG targets.Approximately half of all ethnic minorities are poor and one-third ofthem suffer from food poverty. An ethnic minority child is 3.5 timesmore likely to die before his or her fifth birthday compared to anon-ethnic minority child. This unfinished agenda needs to beaddressed.”
To make sure that all the MDGs are achieved in allprovinces and communes of Vietnam , reforms are needed to promotemore sustainable, inclusive and equitable growth, and growth that ethnicminority communities can actively participate in and benefit from, shesaid.
“Effective reforms in public investment andstate-owned enterprises could increase the fiscal space. This couldallow for more resources to be allocated for a comprehensive socialprotection system, and for more investments to be made in health,education, water and sanitation and poverty reduction.
TheGovernment’s Resolution 80 and the National Target Programme forSustainable Poverty Reduction, which aim to reduce poverty by 4 percentin the poorest mountainous and ethnic minority communes and districts,are also steps in the right direction.”
Mehta notedthat since the MDGs were adopted by all UN member states in 2000 with anaim to achieve these by 2015, they have helped set global and nationaldevelopment priorities and fuel time-bound action on the ground.
Although there are still three years to go, discussionshave already started on what the global development agenda beyond 2015should be. The peoples of the world are looking to the UN for actionbeyond 2015 to achieve a world of prosperity, equity, freedom, dignityand peace for current and future generations.
According to the UN official, for the first time, the UN has launchedopen and inclusive consultations to hear the voices of people ofdifferent income, gender and age groups. Vietnam is one of the 50countries around the world selected for broad-based nationalconsultations on what a new global development agenda should look like.
“Thiswill provide an excellent opportunity for Vietnam to reflect on itsprogress on the MDGs and, looking forward, what should be donedomestically and globally to ensure all people can enjoy a life ofdignity, freedom and prosperity in every village and every city,” theofficial concluded.-VNA
Theinterview occasioned the 67th founding anniversary of the UN and the35th anniversary of Vietnam-UN partnership.
Talking about theprogress of the partnership between Vietnam and the UN over more thanthree decades, the UN Resident Coordinator said: “The UN has a longhistory as a key partner in Vietnam ’s development, ever sinceVietnam became the 149 th member state of the UN on September 20,1977.
In the early years of hardship and post-warreconstruction, UN agencies were on the ground providing assistance toVietnam’s rebuilding efforts. As the ‘doi moi’ reforms began totake hold, the UN provided a gateway, connecting Vietnam withinternational expertise, knowledge and technical assistance andsupported the country’s development progress – thereby improving thelives of millions of Vietnamese.
In recent years, the role ofthe UN in Vietnam has evolved. Increasingly, we are focusing onproviding policy advice, helping Vietnam attain global standards andmeet its commitments to international agreements, and supporting itsaspiration to be internationally integrated.
Vietnamcontinues to play a very active role within the UN. Both the former UNSecretary-General, Kofi Annan, as well as the current Secretary-General,Ban Ki-moon, have visited the country. Vietnam has alsosuccessfully served as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Councilduring the 2008-2009 term, and suggested new ways of working within theCouncil.
Vietnam also plays a key role in efforts to reformthe UN system, including the UN development system.
Selected asone of eight pilot countries in 2006, Vietnam is a leading exampleof the ‘Delivering as One’ reform initiative. This initiative aims tomake the UN system in Vietnam work more efficiently and effectivelytogether, thereby helping us to deliver better development results forthe people of Vietnam . The success of the initiative here is inlarge part due to the strong commitment and leadership by theGovernment.
Earlier this year, Vietnam and the UN signed theOne Plan for 2012-2016. This plan outlines the three key areas wherethe UN will provide support to Vietnam and its citizens over thenext five years. The three areas are: inclusive, equitable andsustainable growth; access to quality essential services and socialprotection; and governance and participation. The One Plan focuses onthe principles of equity and inclusiveness and aims to make sure thatall the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are achieved in all parts ofVietnam .”
Regarding the country’s implementation of MDGs,the UN official noted, “ Vietnam is one of a handful of countriesto have made significant progress towards achieving the MDGs. Thisprogress was recognised by the international community at the 2010Global Summit on the MDGs, where Vietnam ranked sixth in terms ofboth absolute and relative progress.
Vietnam has madesignificant achievements in areas such as poverty reduction,education, gender equality and child health.
In the area ofpoverty reduction, for example, Vietnam has managed to halve thepoverty rate from 58.1 percent in 1993 to 28.9 percent in 2002 and thento 12.3 percent in 2008. And between 1990 and 2006 , infant mortalityand under-five mortality was also halved. These are impressiveachievements.”
However, she also pointed the two goals thatVietnam is currently lagging behind, including MDG 6 on HIV/AIDS andMDG 7 on environmental sustainability.
She said “HIV is a concernbecause barriers to HIV services uptake, including the non-availabilityof a standardised package of services and stigma and discrimination,are still allowing the virus to spread in silence. In order to furtherscale up measures to halt and reverse the spread of HIV, Vietnamwill need to prioritise funding on HIV prevention for key populationgroups and ensure the sustainability of the national response to HIV.
Inthe area of MDG 7 on environmental sustainability, there are stilldifferences in access to clean water and sanitation between regions andamong urban and rural areas. For instance, while 93.8 percent of urbandwellers use improved latrines, the figure for the rural population is71.5 percent.”
Mehta also talked about issues that Vietnamfaced even for the MDGs where the country had made good progress.
Shesaid, “The poorest, mountainous communes and districts where manyethnic minority people live lag behind in almost all MDG targets.Approximately half of all ethnic minorities are poor and one-third ofthem suffer from food poverty. An ethnic minority child is 3.5 timesmore likely to die before his or her fifth birthday compared to anon-ethnic minority child. This unfinished agenda needs to beaddressed.”
To make sure that all the MDGs are achieved in allprovinces and communes of Vietnam , reforms are needed to promotemore sustainable, inclusive and equitable growth, and growth that ethnicminority communities can actively participate in and benefit from, shesaid.
“Effective reforms in public investment andstate-owned enterprises could increase the fiscal space. This couldallow for more resources to be allocated for a comprehensive socialprotection system, and for more investments to be made in health,education, water and sanitation and poverty reduction.
TheGovernment’s Resolution 80 and the National Target Programme forSustainable Poverty Reduction, which aim to reduce poverty by 4 percentin the poorest mountainous and ethnic minority communes and districts,are also steps in the right direction.”
Mehta notedthat since the MDGs were adopted by all UN member states in 2000 with anaim to achieve these by 2015, they have helped set global and nationaldevelopment priorities and fuel time-bound action on the ground.
Although there are still three years to go, discussionshave already started on what the global development agenda beyond 2015should be. The peoples of the world are looking to the UN for actionbeyond 2015 to achieve a world of prosperity, equity, freedom, dignityand peace for current and future generations.
According to the UN official, for the first time, the UN has launchedopen and inclusive consultations to hear the voices of people ofdifferent income, gender and age groups. Vietnam is one of the 50countries around the world selected for broad-based nationalconsultations on what a new global development agenda should look like.
“Thiswill provide an excellent opportunity for Vietnam to reflect on itsprogress on the MDGs and, looking forward, what should be donedomestically and globally to ensure all people can enjoy a life ofdignity, freedom and prosperity in every village and every city,” theofficial concluded.-VNA
