Head of Vietnam's delegation to the United Nations Ambassador Dang Dinh Quy (Photo: VNA)

The session took the theme “Socially just transition towards sustainable development: the role of digital technologies on social development and well-being of all”.

Quy stressed that tapping the achievements of digital technology and mitigating their negative impacts will help step up the implementation of the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development.

To such end, he suggested paying attention to education and training in science-technology, investing in digital technology infrastructure and providing services at affordable prices, especially in remote and mountainous areas.

In his opinion, development policies should take into account short and long-term goals to ensure balance between economic recovery and sustainable development.

He stressed a need to boost international cooperation and called on developed nations to realise the commitment to earmark 0.7 percent of the gross domestic product for official assistance to developing nations.

The ambassador highlighted that Vietnam always considers human as the driver for national development, and has issued a number of comprehensive and sustainable policies to reduce poverty and improve people’s lives, which has been welcomed by international community.

The Vietnamese Government has set the dual goal of fighting the COVID-19 pandemic and ensuring socio-economic development and social welfare via the launch of a social assistance package worth 2.6 billion USD, he said, adding that the country also applied technological advances in service of development and performing social policies, contributing to the international community’s common effort to develop a global society.

At the session, President of the UN Economic and Social Council Munir Akram said in order to step up digital technology and narrow digital gap, 428 billion USD is needed to invest in global bandwidth. It is time for innovation, creativity and solidarity, he said.

Participants at the event also shared experience and initiatives regarding social policies, thus creating conditions for the public to access digital technologies and adopt them in production and the distribution of goods and services./.VNA