General Secretary of the Communist Party of Viet Nam Central Committee and President To Lam met with United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres at the UN headquarters in New York, the US, on September 23 (local time), within the framework of the high-level week of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA 81).

At the meeting, the UN chief recalled his youth involvement in the the movement opposing the war in Viet Nam and expressed his admiration for Viet Nam’s notable development achievements over the four decades of Doi moi (Renewal). He affirmed that Vietnam has become an important pillar of multilateralism with special and distinctive relationship.

Appreciating Viet Nam’s active and pioneering engagement in security, political affairs, sustainable development and a just energy transition, Secretary-General Guterres expressed his hope that Viet Nam will continue to play a strong role in the world’s transformation, contribute to efforts to address climate change under the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP), and promote emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI).

Highlighting Viet Nam’s achievements and development orientations, General Secretary and President Lam said that the country’s development direction in the new period is centred on sustainable development, with the quality of life, safety and happiness of the people serving as core measures of progress.

Reaffirming Viet Nam’s foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, multilateralisation and diversification, he said Vietnam has made a major transition from an aid recipient to an active and responsible contributor to strengthening the central role of the United Nations. He affirmed Viet Nam’s support for the UN80 Initiative, aimed at improving the organisation’s operational effectiveness.

As a demonstration of this commitment, the General Secretary and President said Viet Nam will continue to deepen its participation in UN peacekeeping operations, provide office premises free of charge for UN agencies in Hanoi for the next 10 years, with an estimated value of 3 million USD, contribute nearly 1.3 million USD to the international peacekeeping budget, and stand ready to host major international conferences.

Viet Nam will also make active contributions to UN initiatives promoting global governance of science and technology and artificial intelligence, as well as the green transition and digital transformation. At the same time, he asked the UN to continue supporting Viet Nam in digital transformation and enhancing capacity, sharing experience, connecting Viet Nam with international expert, technology and financial networks, responding to climate change and promoting the green transition, particularly by mobilising resources and accelerating implementation of the JETP.

Looking to the future, the two sides agreed to effectively implement the Strategic Cooperation Framework for 2027 - 2031, together with country programme documents with specialised UN agencies such as UNDP, UNICEF and UNFPA, with a view to reforming global governance and the international financial system toward greater fairness and transparency.

The two leaders exchanged views on international and regional issues. They agreed to further strengthen ASEAN - UN cooperation, reaffirmed their support for ASEAN centrality, and maintained a consistent stance on ensuring security, safety and freedom of navigation in the region on the basis of respect for international law, particularly the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).