(CPV) - The Minister of Planning and Investment, H.E. Nguyen Chi Dzung, as assigned by the Prime Minister of the Government of Viet Nam, and the United Nations (UN) Resident Coordinator in Viet Nam, H.E. Kamal Malhotra, on behalf of the United Nations, signed the new Government of Viet Nam – United Nations Joint One Strategic Plan (OSP) for period 2017 – 2021 between the Government of Viet Nam and 18 UN Agencies: FAO, ILO, IOM, ITC, IAEA, UNAIDS, UNCTAD, UNDP, UNEP, UNESCO, UNFPA, UN-Habitat, UNICEF, UNIDO, UNODC, UNV, UN Women and WHO.
The signing of the OSP 2017-2021, the new key programmatic and strategic framework for delivering UN support to the Government, coincides with the 40-year commemoration of the UN – Viet Nam partnership.
It highlights the strong commitment of the UN and the Government of Viet Nam to the National Action Plan for implementation of the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development (SDGs).
The OSP 2017-2021 is built on the three principles of inclusion, equity and sustainability, and is well aligned with Viet Nam’s Socio-Economic Development Strategy 2011-2020, its Socio-Economic Development Plan 2016-2020, the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), as well as Viet Nam’s international human rights commitments.
With an estimated budget of USD423 million, the OSP 2017-2021 prioritizes four focus areas, shaped by the central themes of the SDGs (People, Planet, Prosperity and Peace), emphasizing nine related outcomes.
The OSP 2017-2021 advances common ground for the expansion of partnerships between the UN, the Government, private sector actors, development partners and legally established non-state organizations and groups.
While recognizing Viet Nam’s significant economic growth and remarkable poverty reduction, Minister of Planning and Investment, H.E. Nguyen Chi Dzung, stated that “The OSP is signed and implemented when Viet Nam starts to implement the National Action Plan for implementation of the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development.
Viet Nam will apply synchronous measures for curbing the inflation, stabilizing the macro economy and ensuring the social security. At the same time, the government will implement drastic and effective solutions to restructure the economy in a comprehensive and inclusive manner.
The Government has been doing its best to improve the institutional and policy framework in order to mobilize the resources from all economic sectors for the country’s growth. Together with other development partners, the United Nations has played an important role to support Viet Nam’s development, integration and active participation in the global development context, through the provision of policy advice and technical support to the Government of Viet Nam, sharing Viet Nam’s experiences with other developing countries, and the introduction of professional experiences that help ensure a sustainable and green growth economy with a balance between the social and economic development”.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, UN Resident Coordinator in Viet Nam, H.E. Kamal Malhotra, affirmed that “Through the new OSP 2017-2021, the UN will continue to build on its comparative advantages in providing Viet Nam with integrated solutions to complex multidimensional development challenges by drawing on collective regional and global knowledge; supporting a normative voice on human rights, prioritizing equity and citizen-centered reforms; and strengthening South-South cooperation.”
The signing ceremony took place at the Ministry of Planning and Investment with the attendance of a wide audience of stakeholders including representatives from Ministries and Agencies, the UN, development partners, other organizations and the media./.