Vietnam proposes three solutions at the World Summit on Social Development

According to a VNA correspondent in the Gulf region, the second World Summit on Social Development took place from November 4-6 in the capital Doha, Qatar, with the participation of United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, President of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Annalena Baerbock, nearly 30 heads of state and government, 80 ministers and leaders of ministries and sectors of UN member states.

In his opening remarks, Secretary-General Guterres stressed that the 1995 Copenhagen Conference was a "moment of conscience", contributing to lifting more than one billion people out of extreme poverty, pushing the global unemployment rate to near historic lows and promoting more equal and fair societies. However, Secretary-General Guterres said that recent achievements in poverty reduction, health and education are being seriously threatened by geopolitical instability, social division and escalating conflicts, so this conference is of particular importance in building a plan and roadmap towards poverty eradication, job creation, protection and strengthening global solidarity.

UN member states highly appreciated Qatar's hosting role and emphasized that the Doha Conference was an important turning point, reaffirming the commitment after 30 years of implementing the Copenhagen Action Programme in 1995. At the conference, countries unanimously adopted the Doha Political Declaration, affirming their commitment to the journey of poverty eradication, job creation and ensuring comprehensive social security for a sustainable future, identifying this as not just a choice, but a shared responsibility of the whole society.

UN General Assembly President Annalena Baerbock stated that the Doha Political Declaration is a plan for the people, which needs to be implemented vigorously with multi-dimensional solutions, combined with effective investment so that "no one is left behind". To effectively implement the three pillars of social development, countries affirmed that this process needs to be closely linked with other current processes such as the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, financial support, technology and capacity for developing countries.

Leading the Vietnamese delegation to the Conference in Doha, Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Minh Hang affirmed that the 1995 Copenhagen Conference was a strong call for action, but global implementation progress was not sustainable when more than 800 million people were still poor, youth unemployment was high, and inequality in education and employment persisted, especially for vulnerable groups. Deputy Minister Nguyen Minh Hang emphasized that the Second World Summit for Social Development and the Doha Political Declaration were an opportunity for the international community to strengthen solidarity and continue to persevere in the spirit of Copenhagen 1995 and the noble goals of the UN Charter.

At the conference, Deputy Minister Nguyen Minh Hang shared Vietnam's success story over the past three decades - a vivid demonstration of the effectiveness of integrating the 1995 Copenhagen Action Programme into national development strategies, typically the journey of reducing poverty from 58.1% to only 1.3% in 2025; unemployment from 7% to 2.2%; almost completely eliminating illiteracy for people of working age. The Deputy Minister affirmed that in the country's new development era, Vietnam continues to commit to giving the highest priority to ensuring social security, devoting all resources to ensuring that socio -economic development achievements will bring an increasingly prosperous and happy life to the people.

From Vietnam's practical experiences, Deputy Minister Nguyen Minh Hang proposed three key solutions to more effectively implement the Copenhagen Action Agenda and the Doha Political Declaration. The first is to promote inclusive international cooperation, prioritizing South-South cooperation and trilateral cooperation in poverty reduction and job creation; multilateral forums need to support countries to link national strategies with global development goals. The second is to innovate the development model, promote digital transformation, considering this a key driving force for effective social development, including promoting the e-government system to deploy health, education, and social protection services, along with training high-quality officials. The third is to mobilize sustainable finance through the establishment of national social development funds with the support of international organizations and the participation of the private sector; Innovative financial mechanisms will contribute to diversifying resources and enhancing sustainability and finance in promoting social development. Deputy Minister Nguyen Minh Hang affirmed that as a reliable, active and responsible partner of the international community and the United Nations, Vietnam pledges to continue joining hands with other countries to promote global efforts for a sustainable and inclusive future for all people.

Within the framework of attending the Conference, on November 5, Deputy Minister Nguyen Minh Hang had meetings with Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Bhutan DN Dhungyel, Minister of State for Foreign Trade of Qatar Ahmed bin Mohammed Al-Sayed, and Mr. Tariq Alhamad, Deputy Minister in charge of International Relations - Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development of Saudi Arabia (Saudi Arabia).

During the meetings, Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Minh Hang informed about the socio-economic development situation and some development orientations of Vietnam in the coming time. GCC Secretary General Albudaiwi expressed his impression of Vietnam's achievements after 40 years of Doi Moi, highly appreciating Vietnam's development orientation and goals. Mr. Albudaiwi affirmed his support for promoting negotiations on a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between Vietnam and the GCC, as well as expanding cooperation between Vietnam and the GCC Secretariat and GCC countries. Meanwhile, Minister Dhungyel affirmed that Bhutan highly values ​​its relations with Vietnam and affirmed that the two countries still have much room for cooperation, and agreed to strengthen bilateral relations in the coming time, focusing on a number of potential areas such as tourism, investment, business connections, etc.

In a discussion with Qatari Minister of State for Foreign Trade Ahmed bin Mohammed Al-Sayed, Deputy Minister Nguyen Minh Hang affirmed that the Vietnam-Qatar relationship is being raised to a new level, especially after the official visit to Qatar by Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh (October 2024). The Deputy Minister suggested that the two sides promote early negotiations on the Vietnam-GCC FTA; strengthen cooperation in the fields of investment, trade, Halal industry, business connection, etc. Agreeing with this opinion, Qatari Minister of State for Foreign Trade Al-Sayed highlighted the potential for cooperation between the two countries in the field of investment, encouraged trade promotion activities between the two countries, and emphasized that Qatar could be a gateway for Vietnamese businesses to cooperate with GCC countries.

At the meeting with Deputy Minister Tariq Alhamad, Deputy Minister Nguyen Minh Hang emphasized the importance of bringing bilateral relations to a new cooperation framework, in line with the new position and strength of both sides, contributing to concretizing the commitments of the two countries' senior leaders. Mr. Tariq Alhamad affirmed that the relationship between the two countries is developing very well, with a lot of potential and level of cooperation. Informing about the working environment in Saudi Arabia and policies towards foreign workers, Mr. Alhamad proposed that the two sides continue to coordinate and actively negotiate towards signing cooperation agreements in the coming time, including an agreement on recruiting Vietnamese workers to work in Saudi Arabia.

Source: https://baotintuc.vn/thoi-su/viet-nam-de-xuat-ba-giai-phap-tai-hoi-nghi-thuong-dinh-the-gioi-ve-phat-trien-xa-hoi-20251106220658846.htm