Vietnam to integrate UN meeting’s outcomes into APEC 2017’s agenda

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The UN high-level meeting for the Euro-Asia region on improving cooperation on transit, trade facilitation and the 2030 agenda for sustainable development concluded on March 9 with many positive outcomes.

The meeting was co-held by the Vietnamese Government and the United Nations Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States (UN-OHRLLS).

Assistant to Foreign Minister Vu Quang Minh and Gyan Chandra Acharya, UN Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for the UN-OHRLLS at the press conference after the closure of the meeting.

At a press conference after the closure of the meeting, Assistant to Foreign Minister Vu Quang Minh said, “This event has made important contributions to the contents that we want to put forward for discussion in APEC 2017, particularly issues related to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda.”

For his part, Gyan Chandra Acharya, UN Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for the UN-OHRLLS said Vietnam has fulfilled its role as the host country of the important event.

“There were strong messages coming out at the meeting in Hanoi. In the near future, we will continue to discuss how to realize these recommendations”, said the UN Under-Secretary-General.

He also expressed his hope that the outcomes of the meeting will be integrated into the agenda of the APEC 2017 and other world forums.

During the three-day event, ministers and senior representatives from UN country members, international financial institutions, regional and sub-regional organizations, private sector and senior United Nations officials shared practices and lessons learnt, with a focus on implementing the Vienna Program of Action for Landlocked Developing Countries and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The meeting also stressed the need for cooperation between landlocked developing countries and transit countries, aiming to enhance regional connectivity and deepen their participation in global value-added chains.

Vietnam, for the first time, has hosted a UN high-level meeting, which, according to Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Binh Minh, would help enhance Vietnam's role in the UN as well as provide opportunities for Vietnamese businesses to promote cooperation with partners from other nations.