Vietnam participates in RoK Navy’s International Fleet Review

Frigate 015-Tran Hung Dao 

Vietnam has sent one of its largest and most modern frigates, the 015-Tran Hung Dao, to the Republic of Korea to participate in the third international parade in Jeju. 

The 015-Tran Hung Dao is a Gepard 3.9- class vessel which Vietnam received from Russia at the end of last year. 

Before coming to Jeju for the event, the Vietnamese naval ship visited Japan from September 27.

The International Fleet Review of the RoK Navy, which opened on October 10, is a major event of the RoK navy held every decade. It was held for the first time in 1998 on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the RoK navy. 

The review of warships will take place on October 11 with the participation of more than 40 vessels and over 20 military aircraft from 13 countries, including the US’s nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan.

Vietnam proactive in cutting GHG emissions: Deputy PM

Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung (R) and Chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Hoesung Lee 

Vietnam has been a proactive and responsible nation, committed to reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, said Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung during a reception for Chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Hoesung Lee in Hanoi on October 10.

Speaking highly of the IPCC and Lee’s contribution towards strengthening global climate change response, Deputy PM Dung said that the IPCC’s recommendations have been turned into definitive actions to fight climate change in Vietnam.

The country has now approved plans for the implementation of the Paris Agreement on climate change, as well as fully implemented the treaties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol, he said.

In the past few years, the Advisory Council for the National Committee on Climate Change, comprised of leading scientists, have made scientific reports on elements of extreme weather and climate change, as well as helped build strategies and policies on climate change in Vietnam.

As a country badly-hit by climate change, Vietnam has been active in performing international commitments and building plans to respond to climate change. However, Vietnam’s efforts cannot work alone and the country wants others worldwide and relevant organisations to take a firm hold of their responsibilities too, he stressed.

He asked the IPCC to share its experience with Vietnam in monitoring damage caused by climate change in the coming time.

Hoesung Lee, for his part, said that the Paris Agreement on climate change was adopted at the 21st session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 21) with a view to cap the increase in global average temperature to well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial level and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase even further to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

The IPCC was then invited to build the “Global Warming of 1.5 Degrees Celsius” report, a special report on the impact of global warming of 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and related global greenhouse gas emission pathways. The report was reviewed by competent parties in the Republic of Korea on October 8, he said.

Following the meeting in the RoK, Vietnam was chosen as the first country to be introduced to this special report. Lee believed that its scientific research will help Vietnam, as well as other countries vulnerable to climate change, draw up rational plans in response to climate change and its effects. 

He recommended that Vietnam shift into a low-carbon economy, with a focus on the development of renewable energies. The Vietnamese Government should encourage the involvement of enterprises in managing climate change-related risks, he suggested. 

ASEAN countries, partners discuss farm-forestry-fishery trade

Vietnamese delegation at the Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM) of the ASEAN Ministers on Agriculture and Forestry Plus Three 

The Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM) of the ASEAN Ministers on Agriculture and Forestry Plus Three (AMAF +3) opened in Hanoi on October 10 to prepare for the 18th meeting of AMAF +3 slated for October 12. 

In opening the SOM +3, Director of the International Cooperation Department under Vietnam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development Tran Kim Long said the ASEAN Plus Three strategy on cooperation in food, agriculture and forestry in 2011-2015 had been successfully implemented. Therefore, the AMAF and the Ministers of Agriculture of China, Japan and the Republic of Korea (AMAF +3) have decided to launch a strategy for 2016-2025. 

Long noted that the new strategy is designed to promote joint actions towards the goal of ensuring food security and people’s life, while encouraging sustainable development in agriculture and forestry, increasing trade in agricultural and fishery products, and addressing difficulties and challenges facing ASEAN +3 countries in the fields. 

The official appreciated cooperative projects launched by ASEAN +3 to assist member countries in realising development targets such as building capacity, narrowing development gap, reducing poverty and bolstering trade in agricultural, forestry and fishery products among ASEAN +3 countries. 

The SOM listened to reports on ASEAN +3 cooperation in food, agriculture and forestry, and discussed a protocol revising the agreement on ASEAN Plus Three Emergency Rice Reserve (APTERR). The meeting also considered the content of a Memorandum of Understanding between ASEAN and China on cooperation in agriculture and food, and another MoU between ASEAN and the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) on enhancing cooperation in agriculture and forestry, which are scheduled to be signed on October 12.

Vietnam treasures global multilateral mechanisms: Ambassador to Indonesia

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc’s presence at the ASEAN Leaders’ Gathering (ALG) and the plenary session of International Monetary Fund (IMF)- World Bank (WB) annual meetings will affirm Vietnam’s commitments to being an active and responsible member of ASEAN and treasuring global multilateral institutions.

Vietnamese Ambassador to Indonesia Pham Vinh Quang (Source: baoquocte.vn)

The statement was made by Vietnamese Ambassador to Indonesia Pham Vinh Quang in his interview granted to Vietnam News Agency correspondents in the country on the threshold of his working visit to Indonesia and attendance at these events from October 11-12.

Quang said that PM Phuc’s attendance at the ALG and the IMF-WB annual meetings’ plenary session is of significance, showing the country’s responsibility for contributing to ASEAN’s dynamic and sustainable development.

The presence and contributions of the high-level Vietnamese delegation led by PM Phuc to these meetings are the follow-up of the country’s efforts to join hands with the international community in boosting sustainable development and green growth, and implementing the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development Goals

Under the theme of “Achieving Sustainable Development Goals and Overcoming Development Gap Through Regional and Global Collaborative Actions”, ASEAN leaders will focus their discussions on orientations and measures to intensify cooperation between ASEAN and international organisations such as the United Nations, IMF and WB, to create a momentum for building the ASEAN Community in line with the 2030 Agenda, the diplomat shared.

Regarding the Vietnam-Indonesia relations, Ambassador Quang said that the PM’s working visit to Indonesia will demonstrate Vietnam’s respect for Indonesia’s role and position in the region and the world, and show its wish to coordinate closely with Indonesia and other ASEAN member states in building the Southeast Asian region of peace, stability, solidarity, prosperous development and sustainable growth.

Although the Vietnam-Indonesia strategic partnership was set up five years ago, the two countries have a nearly-70-year bilateral diplomatic relationship with numerous achievements in politics, defence, security, economics, trade, investment, tourism and people-to-people exchanges.

Through high-level visits, bilateral cooperative mechanisms and increasing political trust, collaboration in other fields is developing strongly as well.

The two countries are striving for 10 billion USD in two-way trade value as soon as possible and rising the number of Vietnamese tourists to Indonesia and vice versa to 220,000 by 2023 from the 120,000 at present.

In the complicated regional and global situation, it is crucial for Vietnam and Indonesia to intensify cooperation to turn challenges into opportunities so as to build a strong and united ASEAN, thus helping solve disputes peacefully, ensure security and stability in the region, and promote trade liberalisation, Quang stated.

With the political determination of both sides’ leaders, Vietnam and Indonesia are step by step overcoming difficulties, standing with each other to deepen bilateral cooperation, contributing to enhance solidarity and promote the central role of ASEAN in all mechanisms led and formed by the bloc, he added.

UPF’s 47th Assises opens in Armenia

At the conference. (Photo: leseco.ma)

The 47th Assises of the International Union of Francophone Press (UPF) opened on October 9 in Tsaghkadzor, about 50km from Armenia’s Yerevan capital city. 

The event, themed “Media and Migration”, took place simultaneously with the 17th Summit of the Francophonie in Yerevan. 

In his opening remarks, UPF President Madiambal Diagne said migration is a lingering global issue and the conference creates an opportunity for journalists and heads of French-language media agencies to exchange experience in dealing with migration-related information.  

Within the four-day event, the delegates will hold round-table discussions and thematic meetings on media and migration.  

According to the organising board, the conference has attracted the participation of 300 delegates representing media organisations, newspapers, radio and television stations of 49 Francophone countries,

 As a non-governmental organisation established in 1950, the UPF aims to ensure press freedom.  

Based in Paris, the union brings together more than 3,000 journalists, including those from Vietnam.

Accelerating the building of an e-Government

According to the United Nations, Vietnam has made progress in its e-government ranking, currently standing 88th among 193 countries and territories worldwide and sixth out of the 11 countries in ASEAN. To date, all ministries, sectors and localities in Vietnam have developed websites or portals with updated information, which fundamentally meet the communication and management requirements of the State.

The total number of online public services for level 3 and 4 provided by ministries and agencies amount to 1,551 services, while localities are offering 45,374 online public services.

However, there remain many inadequacies and limitations in the building of the e-government in Vietnam, including tardiness in the building of interconnection system on data sharing; unfinished national database on population, land and finance; unfriendly online public services; limited budget for information technology (IT) application and the building of information system associated with administrative reforms.

To achieve the goal of e-government development and catch up with the innovation trend of the fourth industrial revolution, ministries, sectors and the related agencies should inherit and develop IT application programmes and build the e-government under the guidance of the Politburo, the Government and the Prime Minister.

The development of an e-government must ensure information safety, national security and the protection of personal information aligned with administrative reforms and the effective use of resources for building an e-government. Foreign agencies and organisations can provide funding and technical assistance to Vietnam in building the e-government but the software and database must be managed and operated by Vietnam.

The building of an e-government requires a master plan with the heads of ministries, agencies and localities taking responsibility for implementing the e-government at their respective units.

The Ministry of Information and Communications should direct and urge IT developers to assist the Government Office in accelerating the electronic identification of citizens and enterprises participating in the use of online public services, as well as building the e-government architecture framework in line with the global trend and the fourth industrial industry.

The Prime Minister has recently requested that the Ministries of Public Security, Natural Resources and Environment, Finance, Planning and Investment and Vietnam Social Insurance accelerate the building of national databases as assigned in the Decision No. 714 dated May 22, 2015. 

The Ministry of Public Security should prioritise completing the national database on population, while announcing the standards and technical regulations on the sharing of data with the information systems of other ministries and sectors.

To implement e-government building projects, the Ministry of Finance needs to coordinate with the Ministry of Planning and Investment and the Ministry of Information and Communications to propose solutions to raise resources and funding for such projects.

Leading Vietnamese IT corporations, including Military-run telecommunications company Viettel Group, Vietnam Posts and Telecommunications Group (VNPT), FPT Corporation, and Corporation of Vietnam Post Office (VNPOST), must take the lead in deploying information systems and the application of new technologies in developing the e-government towards a digital economy and society.