Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam speaks at the high-level discussion of the 78th session of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP). (Photo: VNA)

The two elected agencies are the General Statistics Office under the Ministry of Planning and Investment and the Vietnam Institute of Agricultural Engineering & Post Harvest Technology (VIAEP) under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

The election is within the framework of the 78th session of the ESCAP underway from May 23 to May 27, in Bangkok, Thailand.

Vietnam is among the top 3 countries with the most votes at the CSAM and the top 5 countries with the highest votes at the SIAP.

SIAP is a regional institution of the ESCAP, located in Makuhari area of Chiba City, Japan. It has been assisting developing countries in their human resource development through training officials/statisticians not only of the countries in Asia and Pacific region but also of Africa, Latin America and Caribbean, and Europe. It was established in Tokyo in 1970 by the initiative of Japanese government.

The main activity of SIAP is to organize statistical training courses, connect and cooperate with international organizations, development partners and disseminate statistical information aimed at serving socio-economic development.

The Centre for Sustainable Agricultural Mechanization (CSAM) is a regional institution of the ESCAP, based in Beijing, China. Built on the achievements of the Regional Network for Agricultural Machinery (RNAM) and the United Nations Asian and Pacific Centre for Agricultural Engineering and Machinery (UNAPCAEM) CSAM started operations in 2012.

CSAM serves the 62 members and associate members of ESCAP. It is guided by the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and other internationally agreed development goals, as well as, the resolutions and mandates adopted by ESCAP.

The vision of CSAM is to achieve production gains, improved rural livelihood and poverty alleviation through sustainable agricultural mechanization for a more resilient, inclusive and sustainable Asia and the Pacific.

The Executive Councils of SIAP and CSAM, compose of representatives of the host country and eight other members elected by ESCAP members. They hold their meetings at least once a year, and are responsible for assessing governance, financial activities and implementation of annual and long-term programs of these two organizations.

The election of the GSO and VIAEP to the SIAP and CSAM is viewed as a good opportunity for Vietnam to step up cooperation with the region in the fields of statistics and agricultural mechanization, thereby contributing to carrying out national development goals and raising the nation's international profile.

This also shows that ESCAP member countries were appreciative of Vietnam's contributions as well as attaching importance to the country's role and position at the ESCAP.

Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam leading the Vietnamese delegation to attend the 78th session of the ESCAP on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of ESCAP's establishment (1947-2022) and 45 years of Vietnam's accession to the United Nations (1977-2022) has clearly demonstrated Vietnam's commitment and its strong support for ESCAP's activities to promote sustainable development in the region, which serves as an important foundation for countries to decide to support the nation.

Source: VOV