Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnamactively contributed to common initiatives and efforts of the internationalcommunity at the United Nations High-Level Meeting for the Euro-Asia Region onImproving Cooperation on Transit, Trade Facilitation and the 2030 Agenda forSustainable Development held in Hanoi on March 7-9.

Co-hosted by the VietnameseForeign Ministry and the UN Office of the High Representative for the LeastDeveloped Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and the Small IslandDeveloping States, the meeting attracted ministers and high-rankingrepresentatives from transit, least developed, small island and landlockeddeveloping countries in Asia and Europe, and leaders from the UN, the WorldBank, the Asian Development Bank and the World Customs Organisation.

As one of the initiatives toaccelerate the implementation of the 2030 Agenda  – the US’s most comprehensive action-oriented documentfor national and global-scale sustainable development, the meeting discussedand proposed specific measures to realise the Vienna Programme of Action forLandlocked Developing Countries for the 2014-2024 period.

Participants underscored the needto incorporate the Vienna Programme of Action and the 2030 Agenda into nationalplans, strategies and State budget as well as the importance of increasedconnectivity and cooperation to trade facilitation.

They also called for furthersupport of the international community for bilateral and regional cooperationinitiatives of transit and landlocked developing countries during the processof fulfilling the Vienna Programme of Action and the Agenda 2030 goals.

The event reflected Vietnam’sactive, proactive and responsible contributions to UN activities and marked amilestone in Vietnam-UN ties, especially in the context that Vietnam celebratesthe 40th anniversary of its UN membership this year and successfully assumesits role as a member of the UN Economic and Social Council for the 2017-2019tenure.

Speaking at the event, DeputyPrime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh said through experience ofover 30 years of reform and international integration, Vietnam has come tofully appreciate that trade and investment facilitation is critical to economicgrowth and poverty alleviation.

“Vietnam’s membership in the WTO,ASEAN, APEC and our participation in various Free Trade Agreements, includingthe WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement, have given our goods better and easieraccess to global markets. This contributed immensely to the achievement of oursocio-economic goals and most Millennium Development Goals”, he stated.-VNA