Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh thanked the international community for its valuable support and effective cooperation, especially in terms of capital, technology, and management experience for Vietnam's agricultural sector in recent times - Photo: VGP/Nhat Bac
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh warmly welcomed the leaders of the Ministries of Agriculture of the countries to Hanoi to attend the Conference; believed that the delegates would propose practical and feasible solutions and initiatives for the success of the Conference; effectively and substantially implement the achieved contents, for peace, stability, cooperation and prosperous development in the region and the world .
The Prime Minister highly appreciated the particularly important role of the SFS Program in the common effort to achieve all 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations, so that no one is left behind, especially in ensuring food security. To achieve the SDGs, transforming the food system towards transparency, accountability and sustainability is essential, to ensure food security and nutrition for the people; at the same time, protect the environment, conserve natural resources and adapt to climate change.
The Prime Minister affirmed that the Conference took place at a very appropriate time, meeting the urgent needs of countries when the world is making efforts to recover and address the severe consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on people's health and social security as well as the disruption and breakage of food supply chains; causing food crises in many places around the world. Current challenges such as food security, climate change, natural disasters, epidemics, environmental pollution, etc. are all global issues, so they require a global approach and solution, further strengthening solidarity, international cooperation and promoting multilateralism; these are also issues that affect the entire population, so there must be a universal approach.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh received the delegation of leaders of the Ministry of Agriculture of various countries attending the 4th Global Conference on Sustainable Food Systems - Photo: VGP/Nhat Bac
The Prime Minister said that, overcoming difficulties and challenges through many years of war and embargo, after more than 35 years of Doi Moi, Vietnam's economy has achieved important achievements. The size of the economy has increased from 4 billion USD to 409 billion USD; per capita income has increased from 160 USD to over 4,100 USD. In the context of many unpredictable changes in the world, Vietnam has prioritized and is continuing to maintain macroeconomic stability, control inflation, promote growth, ensure major balances of the economy, ensure social security, including ensuring food and foodstuff balance and exports.
Vietnam is carrying out industrialization, modernization, building ecological agriculture, modern countryside, civilized farmers, restructuring the agricultural sector towards increasing added value and sustainable development, shifting orientation from agricultural production to agricultural economic development. Vietnam identifies agriculture as the pillar of the economy, contributing to improving people's lives, maintaining political stability, social order and safety; ensuring food security is one of the components of human security, a prerequisite to ensuring human rights to life.
Leaders of the Ministry of Agriculture of various countries highly appreciated Vietnam's commitment and goals in transforming the food system - Photo: VGP/Nhat Bac
Agriculture is ensuring livelihoods for over 60% of the population living in rural areas; accounting for 30% of the country's workforce and accounting for nearly 12% of GDP. From an agriculturally underdeveloped country that had to import food; Vietnam has now become one of the world's leading agricultural, forestry and fishery exporters with a total turnover of over 53 billion USD in 2022, reaching 196 countries and territories around the world.
The Prime Minister thanked the international community for their valuable support and effective cooperation, especially in terms of capital, technology, and management experience for Vietnam's agricultural sector in recent times. Recently, the Vietnamese Government issued the "National Action Plan for Transforming a Transparent, Responsible, and Sustainable Food System in Vietnam by 2030"; ready to work with other countries to expand cooperation in research, policy development, and promote the replication of models for transforming the food system towards green, environmentally friendly, low-emission, and sustainable; ensuring food security for the Vietnamese people and making a practical contribution to ensuring food security for the world.
The Head of the Vietnamese Government suggested that developing countries enhance the effectiveness of South-South cooperation, in which Vietnam is willing to share experiences and cooperate with countries in agricultural and rural development, poverty reduction, and ensuring food security through South-South cooperation programs and tripartite cooperation with the support and companionship of bilateral and multilateral international partners.
To effectively transform the food system and strengthen international cooperation in the agricultural and rural areas in the coming time, the Prime Minister suggested that relevant parties need to raise awareness of the position and role of the agricultural sector, build institutions, attract capital, research and apply technology, especially post-harvest technology, ensure seed sources, plant protection, fertilizers, respond to natural disasters, climate change, organize production and management, train high-quality human resources, improve productivity and product value, establish a stable global supply chain on the principle of mutual respect and sharing, strengthen the role and support for developing countries in agricultural development, transform the food system towards green, clean, organic and circular.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and leaders of the Ministry of Agriculture of various countries attend the 4th Global Conference on Sustainable Food Systems - Photo: VGP/Nhat Bac
Leaders of the Ministries of Agriculture of the countries and Ms. Beverley Postma, Executive Director of Grow Asia, welcomed Vietnam for proposing the theme and organizing the Conference in the face of the risk of food crisis due to the disruption of the global supply chain; thanked Vietnam for its warm and respectful reception and the organization of the Conference; shared their thoughts on transforming the food system, affirming the importance of food security and food sovereignty for humanity and countries.
Leaders of the Ministries of Agriculture expressed their impression and appreciation for Vietnam's efforts, achievements, lessons and experiences that have inspired Vietnam in the struggle for independence, national unification, socio-economic development in general and in the agricultural sector, ensuring food security in particular, contributing to hunger eradication and poverty reduction, improving people's lives, becoming a major food exporter in the world, affirming its role in the global food production and supply chain, saying that this is the dream of many countries, especially African countries.
Leaders of the Ministries of Agriculture of the countries also highly appreciated Vietnam's commitment and goals in transforming the food system, agreed with the viewpoints on food security, agricultural development and the Prime Minister's cooperation proposals; said that they would report to the leaders of the countries to promote cooperation and hoped that Vietnam would send experts, share experiences and cooperate in ensuring food security in particular, and agricultural development in general, especially in the rice, coffee and seafood sectors...
Source
Comment (0)