Vietnam sees this year's UN General Assembly as a chance to bring its development experience, perspectives and ambitions into global debates as the country takes on a more active international role.
This weekend, Vietnam's Communist Party General Secretary and State President To Lam will lead a high-level delegation to attend the high-level General Debate of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly and take part in bilateral activities in the United States.
This year's General Assembly is being held under the theme “Restoring Trust, Managing Transformation: A United Nations That Delivers for All.”
Alongside the high-level General Debate, world leaders will participate in a range of significant events addressing issues including the right to development, climate change and a just transition, sea-level rise, pandemic prevention and response, and nuclear disarmament.
Pauline Tamesis, the UN Resident Coordinator in Vietnam, said To Lam's decision to lead the Vietnamese delegation sends a strong message about the importance Vietnam attaches to the United Nations and multilateralism.
UN Resident Coordinator in Vietnam Pauline Tamesis during an interview.
Tamesis recalled that at a ceremony marking Vietnam's 81st National Day, To Lam affirmed the country's support for an equitable and fair multilateral system with the United Nations at its core.
Vietnam, he said, stands ready to serve as a bridge for cooperation and dialogue and to play an increasingly substantive role in addressing issues shared by the international community.
Vietnam has demonstrated a strong commitment to the shared values of peace, cooperation, multilateralism and sustainable development, while making important contributions to international security, Tamesis said.
Those commitments, she added, reflect both Vietnam's development journey and the evolution of its relationship with the United Nations.
Tamesis said Vietnam has transformed from a country emerging from war and international isolation into an upper-middle-income nation with a deeply integrated economy and an increasingly active role in regional and global affairs.
In her view, Vietnam is moving from being a beneficiary of international cooperation toward becoming an active contributor to global solutions. That contribution can be seen in its participation in UN peacekeeping, engagement with multilateral institutions, commitments to sustainable development, climate action and AI governance, as well as its willingness to contribute to dialogue and consensus-building.
To Lam's participation in this year's General Debate is therefore significant not only for UN-Vietnam relations, she said, but also as an opportunity for Vietnam to bring its perspectives, experience and aspirations into global discussions at a pivotal moment for multilateralism.
UN seeks to support Vietnam in its new development era
Vietnam's Communist Party General Secretary and State President To Lam addresses the Summit of the Future during the 79th session of the UN General Assembly in September 2024. Photo: VNA
The relationship works both ways: the United Nations supports Vietnam's development goals, while Vietnam contributes its experience, leadership and solutions to the global agenda.
Tamesis stressed that as Vietnam enters a new era of development, the United Nations wants to remain alongside the country and support it in achieving its goals under its 2045 vision.
The UN will continue to provide knowledge, expertise and global partnerships to support Vietnam, she said, while the country's own experience, initiatives and solutions can increasingly contribute to progress at both the regional and global levels.
At the opening of the General Assembly session, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres stressed that restoring trust in the multilateral system is a defining challenge of our time.
He also expressed the view that dialogue, diplomacy and cooperation can help rebuild trust and turn it into a more peaceful, sustainable and equitable future for all.
The world is going through a period of profound uncertainty, marked by conflicts and geopolitical divisions, persistent poverty and inequality, increasingly severe climate impacts, record levels of migration, declining resources for development and humanitarian assistance, and the rapid pace of technological change, including artificial intelligence.
Tamesis said that against this backdrop and in the context of this year's General Assembly theme, restoring trust must mean more than simply reaffirming commitments to multilateralism. Trust must be built through tangible results.
International cooperation can help prevent conflict, while countries need to respect international law and human rights and accelerate sustainable development and responses to climate change, she said.
Global solidarity and collective action must also ensure that major transformations, including the green and digital transitions, serve everyone and leave no one behind.
“We need a United Nations that is more effective, coherent and adaptable, and better equipped to turn global commitments into tangible improvements in people's lives,” Tamesis said.
The United Nations, she added, remains the place where the world comes together to confront shared challenges.
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