Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam has been a dynamic, evolving member of high value of the United Nations (UN) over the last 45 years, Acting UN ResidentCoordinator in Vietnam Rana Flowers has said.

In an interview granted to the Vietnam News Agency on the occasion of Prime Minister PhamMinh Chinh’s attendance at the high-level week of the 78th session ofthe UN General Assembly, the UN representative described Vietnam a responsible memberand a strong supporter of multilateralism anchored in the UN, highlighting thecountry’s active role in the UN Peacekeeping Operations and the UN Peace and Security Agenda, and its commitment to thenet-zero emission target by 2050.

Hailing Vietnam’sNational Commitments and Actions to be presented at the upcoming SDG Summit heldin the framework of the UN General Assembly’s 78th session, she saidthey are a testament to people development, the country’s strong commitment andresolve to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and SustainableDevelopment Goals (SDGs), upholding the promise of leaving no one behind in thenational development journey.

The commitments and actions provide a crucial pathway to mobilise participationand support from all stakeholders and across the government’s institutions atall levels to accelerate the SDG achievement by 2030.

The UN welcomes Vietnam’s pledges to consolidate human rights in all dimensions, and encourages further actions to promote gender equality, createspace for a dynamic civil society, prioritise women’s and children’s rights, andcontinue to better protect the rights of vulnerable groups in line withinternational standards and good practices, she said.

As the 15th most populous country in the world, and one of the mostintegrated and fast growing economies, Vietnam can use its voice effectively tocontribute ideas and push for bolstered investment and innovation to acceleratethe SDG implementation, the official added.

She also spoke highly of Vietnam’s considerable progress in targets related to povertyalleviation, access to clean water and basic sanitation services, industrialand infrastructure development, as well as access to information andcommunications technology.

However, the COVID-19 pandemic and other crises have posed risks of reversing the progress in sometargets, she said, adding Vietnam should boost investments to bring all ofthe SDGs on track to achieve the 2030 targets.

Based on a UN-led SDG costing exercise conducted by the Economic and SocialCommission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), Vietnam needs an investment of 11%of GDP a year during the 2021-2030 period to achieve the SDGs, she said,highlighting developing an SDG Financing Strategy is a key, in which mobilisationof additional financial resources for climate change response and green growth,and existing resources such as ODA and domestic resources are equallyimportant./.