Vietnam urges G20 to initiate new development platforms

Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc was speaking at the second session of the G20 Summit themed "Building a sustainable, inclusive and resilient future” virtually held by Saudi Arabia on November 22.

He said the COVID-19 pandemic has reversed decades of humankind’s achievements, and driven tens of millions of people back into poverty.

Diseases, natural disasters, environmental pollution, inequalities, hunger and poverty, digital divide, food and water security remain the global challenges that cannot be addressed by a single country, said Phuc.

To meet the challenges, Phuc suggested that countries uphold solidarity, build trust, cooperate with good faith, and take shared responsibility towards sustainable and inclusive development, in which no country or individual is left behind.

PM Phuc proposed that G20 countries provide financial and technological assistance to developing countries to help them achieve their sustainable development goals through effective participation in global supply chains, and access to markets and concessional loans.

At the same time he said G20 countries need to promote cooperation with developing countries in responding to climate change and environmental pollution, especially in preventing soil degradation, conserving coral reefs, reducing plastic waste and sustainably managing water resources.

The Prime Minister affirmed Vietnam’s commitment to implementing the Paris Climate Agreement, aiming to reduce total greenhouse gas emissions by 9% by 2030 with domestic resources and even up to 27% with additional international support.

This year's summit is virtually held by Saudi Arabia due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Vietnamese Government leader emphasized that peace, stability, cooperation and development are the prerequisites for sustainable and inclusive development. This can be only achieved when international relations are maintained through a rules-based multilateral system where countries uphold mutual respect and understanding, promote dialogue and cooperation, and build up trust.

This will be an important prerequisite for the G20, the United Nations and multilateral institutions to play a key role in settling global issues in the new normal, he concluded.

At the first session on November 21, PM Phuc delivered a speech, calling on the G20 to strengthen global policy coordination, unite actions and promote multilateral cooperation to weather the COVID-19 crisis.

Vietnamese PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc attended the G20 Summit virtually held in Saudi Arabia on November 21-22 at the invitation of King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. His attendance and speeches at the summit affirmed Vietnam’s positive and responsible contribution as ASEAN Chair 2020 to global issues.

Since 2010, Vietnam has been invited five times to attend the G20 Summit, an important multilateral forum in global economic governance.