UN pledges continued support for Vietnam’s COVID-19 fight
VOV.VN - UN organisations in Vietnam will prioritise cooperating with the country in combating COVID-19 and promoting the transfer of vaccine production technology.
Outgoing UN Resident Coordinator Kamal Malholta made the affirmation at a reception hosted by State President Nguyen Xuan Phuc, in Hanoi on August 12.
He said the COVAX Facility has so far provided with Vietnam with nearly 10 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines, making up the largest amount of vaccines the country has received from different sources.
UN agencies will continue to lobby other countries and/or organisations for more vaccines to Vietnam channeled through COVAX, he told Phuc.
Malhotra recommended that Vietnam vaccinate as many people as possible, with priority to be given to groups of people over 65 years old and those with underlying diseases.
The outgoing UN Resident Coordinator thanked Vietnamese ministries, agencies and localities for their close coordination with him during his working term, and vowed to continue supporting Vietnam in the future.
For his part, President Phuc congratulated Malhotra on successfully completing his term of office in Vietnam, and affirmed that Vietnam appreciates the valuable support, companion and cooperation of UN organizations for Vietnam over the past decades.
He highly appreciated UN organizations’ active role in supporting Vietnam in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic through various forms, from research and assessment of the socio-economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, to policy advice, especially their participation in campaigning for vaccines for the country.
The President suggested that in the coming time the UN continue to provide timely policy advice and financial and technical support to Vietnam, with a primary focus on transforming its growth model, in order to realize the country’s development orientations.
On this occasion, President Phuc reaffirmed that Vietnam attaches great importance to multilateralism and international law and supports the United Nations’ central role in promoting international solidarity and cooperation to address global challenges, maintain peace and security, and achieve world prosperity.
Vietnam will continue to be an active member of the international community and the United Nations, actively and responsibly contribute to the UN Security Council, and participate in UN peacekeeping missions, while promoting the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals, said Phuc.
The same day, National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue received the outgoing UN Resident Coordinator.