Vietnam calls for stronger int’l cooperation to help middle-income countries achieve sustainable development

Ambassador Dang Hoang Giang, Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the United Nations, addresses the UN General Assembly’s high-level meeting on May 11. (Photo: VNA)

He made the appeal while addressing the UN General Assembly’s high-level meeting themed “Accelerating the achievement of the SDGs in middle-income countries (MICs), with a focus on the environmental dimension”, held in New York on May 11.

In his remarks, Giang affirmed that multilateralism, international solidarity, peace, and stability form an important basis for sustainable development in MICs.

To resolve such challenges as climate change and food and energy insecurity, he held that at the national level, MICs need to enhance their resilience and effectively mobilise domestic resources to develop, while capitalising on science, technology, and innovation for green, sustainable, and smart development.

International cooperation is also critically important to promoting global and national efforts, the diplomat noted, urging developed countries to carry out their commitments on financial and technical support, technology transfer, and capacity building for MICs.

An overview of the meeting (Photo: VNA)

Meanwhile, MICs should also step up cooperation, policy dialogue, and experience sharing via existing cooperation mechanisms with developed nations, he added.

The ambassador also highlighted Vietnam’s efforts to implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, commitment to achieving the target of net zero emissions by 2050, and recent establishment of the Just Energy Transition Partnership.

At the meeting, President of the UN General Assembly Csaba Korosi noted MICs have a crucial role to play in implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, but they are facing numerous difficulties and challenges due to impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the economic crisis, and climate change.

Representatives of many countries pointed out specific difficulties and challenges facing MICs and stressed the necessity for financial and technical assistance from UN agencies, development partners, and international financial institutions.

They also shared their countries’ lessons and experience in realising the SDGs, assessed the role of the UN’s development system in helping MICs, and discussed the building of sustainable development indexes that include economic, environmental, and social dimensions./.