Việt Nam champions innovation for peace, development: PM

Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính made remarks via videoconferencing at the 2024 Global Innovation Index (GII) announcement ceremony held by the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) in Geneva, Switzerland on Thursday. — VNA/VNS Photo Anh Hiển

GENEVA — Việt Nam advocates innovation that fosters peace, cooperation and development both globally and regionally, Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính said.

Speaking via videoconferencing at the 2024 Global Innovation Index (GII) announcement ceremony held by the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) on September 26, the PM underlined Việt Nam's firm opposition to the use of innovation for war, unfair competition, and any activities that negatively impact people's lives worldwide.

He made clear Việt Nam's viewpoint that the process of innovation should take the people as the centre and the subject, so that the people can truly benefit from the fruit of innovation.

"We must take a global and people-centred approach, uphold multilateralism and call for international cooperation in promoting innovation," he said, urging rich countries, developed nations and those with better resources to assist developing and poorer countries in institution building, financing, quality workforce training, and transfer of advanced technology and smart governance practices.

Việt Nam identifies education-training and science-technology as its top national policies, with innovation serving as a driving force, a resource and a goal for development, contributing to national construction and development, the PM said.

On the occasion, he thanked international organisations, including WIPO, scientists and experts for their support and cooperation with Việt Nam in promoting innovation, which has played a critical role in the country's rapid and sustainable development.

WIPO Director General Darren Tang commended the Vietnamese Party and State's commitment to sci-tech, innovation, and intellectual property. In the 2024 GII report, Việt Nam climbed two places, now ranking 44th out of 132 countries, reflecting its ongoing progress.

Talking with a Vietnam News Agency reporter in Geneva, Ambassador Mai Phan Dũng, head of the Permanent Delegation of Vietnam to the United Nations (UN), World Trade Organisation (WTO) and other international organisations in Geneva, said the attendance and remarks of PM Chính demonstrated the importance of innovation to Việt Nam's development.

Notably, Switzerland, which has topped the GII for over a decade and is the headquarters of WIPO, offers valuable lessons on innovative models. Therefore, there remains ample room to learn from Switzerland and Europe more broadly in advancing and refining the innovation ecosystem of Việt Nam, the ambassador said.