Vietnam attends preparatory conference for the Future Summit

On September 21, 2023, New York time, at the United Nations Headquarters, the Preparatory Ministerial Conference for the Future Summit took place, with the participation of nearly 150 Ministers and representatives of member countries. Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son led the Vietnamese delegation to attend the Conference.

Speaking at the Conference, the Ministers agreed on the biggest difficulties and challenges today, especially climate change, environment, food security, energy, water resources, as well as the decline in trust and multilateral cooperation... Countries are particularly concerned about the fact that only 14% of the progress in implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) has been achieved after half of the journey, thereby considering the Future Summit 2024 to be of great significance in creating a new catalyst to promote the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. On that basis, the countries shared their vision and priorities for the Future Summit. On this occasion, the Ministers also reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening global governance, enhancing multilateralism, and calling for respect for the fundamental principles of international law and the United Nations Charter.

In his speech, Minister Bui Thanh Son highly appreciated the organization of this Preparatory Ministerial Meeting to prepare well for the Future Summit to create breakthroughs, change thinking, strengthen commitment and action. From there, the Minister said that it is necessary to fully listen to the opinions of countries and stakeholders, including the important role of youth in shaping the future world ; at the same time, the decision-making process needs to be led by member countries and conducted in an open, transparent, inclusive manner, without duplication or unnecessary burden for developing countries.

Minister Bui Thanh Son said that future agreements need to focus on promoting the Sustainable Development Goals, ensuring fairness, justice and the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities; reforming global multilateral systems, including international financial institutions, must prioritize ensuring the rights and giving more voice to developing countries. The Minister pointed out urgent challenges that need to be addressed such as responding to climate change, global health governance, sustainably handling the water-food-energy nexus, as well as ensuring digital technology and artificial intelligence serve humanity.

On the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations (UN) (June 2020), UN member states adopted a statement, in which they requested the UN Secretary-General to make recommendations to address current and future challenges. On that basis, in September 2021, the Secretary-General issued the Report "Our Common Agenda" to call for accelerating the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals. One of the most important proposals of the Report is to organize a Summit on the Future to agree on measures to implement the commitments made. The UN General Assembly agreed to hold the Summit from September 22-23, 2024 and have a Ministerial Preparatory Conference in September 2023.

Source link