Hanoi (VNA) – State President Luong Cuong on September 18 hosted a reception in Hanoi for Pauline Tamesis, United Nations (UN) Resident Coordinator in Vietnam, and heads of UN agencies in the country, ahead of his trip to New York to attend the High-level General Debate of the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly.

The President expressed delight at the strong growth of Vietnam–UN cooperation, underlining that the UN has always been a close companion in Vietnam’s development journey. He highly valued the role and support of UN agencies in advancing development goals, particularly in pandemic response, socio-economic recovery, climate change adaptation, disaster relief – most recently Typhoon Yagi – and in promoting a just energy transition.

🎶 Highlighting Vietnam’s long-term development objectives, he said the country is striving to achieve its two centenary goals: becoming an upper middle-income nation with a modern industrial base by 2030, and a high-income developed country by 2045. He stressed that Vietnam is prioritising international integration, green growth, science and technology development, innovation, digital transformation, private sector expansion, legal reform, education and training, and universal healthcare. He called on UN agencies to further support Vietnam, especially in policy consultancy, scientific cooperation and capacity-building.

Regarding the upcoming debate, the President emphasised its significance as it coincides with both the 80th founding anniversary of the UN and the 80th National Day of Vietnam, with both sides undertaking reforms to enhance effectiveness and responsiveness to contemporary challenges.

The State leader outlined key messages Vietnam will convey, including the country’s story of overcoming hardship, healing war wounds, advancing international integration, and calling on nations to uphold peace and take bold action for a sustainable future.

Reaffirming Vietnam’s strong support for multilateralism and the UN’s central role in global governance, he pledged that the country will continue to contribute actively and responsibly to global peace, stability, cooperation and development.

Welcoming the UN80 initiative of the UN Secretary-General, he said Vietnam supports bold reforms and stands ready to host UN agencies and centres in the country.

President Luong Cuong also reiterated Vietnam’s support for the UN’s role in shaping global cooperation on artificial intelligence governance, and reaffirmed its commitment to international climate pledges, including implementation of the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP). He asked the UN to work closely with Vietnam in preparation for the official visit of Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the signing ceremony of the UN Convention on cybercrime in Hanoi this October.

For her part, Tamesis praised Vietnam’s strong leadership and commitment to multilateralism and the UN at a time of global challenges. She stressed that the 80th UN General Assembly marks a pivotal moment for promoting international cooperation on peace, development and human rights. She highlighted Vietnam’s impressive achievements in poverty reduction, socio-economic development, institutional reform, gender equality and inclusive growth.

The Resident Coordinator particularly commended Vietnam’s decisive policies on international integration, digital transformation, energy security, education and healthcare, placing people and businesses at the centre.

🎶 She affirmed that the UN will continue to accompany and support Vietnam in advancing sustainable development, addressing climate change, promoting gender equality and achieving its strategic goals./.