Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam Nguyen Minh Hang (Photo: VNA)

 Addressing the Special Ministerial Meeting of the Group of 77 and China held in New York on December 15-16, Hang, who is also head of the Vietnamese delegation, highlighted the driving role of trade and investment in promoting economic growth, sustainable and inclusive development, and fulfilling the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

 Accordingly, it is necessary to accelerate World Trade Organisation (WTO) reform, speed up market opening, and mitigate unnecessary trade barriers, she said.

 As science, technology and innovation play a key role in sustainable, inclusive and people-centred development, she urged intensifying cooperation in science, technological transfer and provision of preferential financing for development in tandem with renewing financial mobilisation methods through public-private partnership and building mixed financial models.

 According to Hang, Viet Nam, as a founding member of G77, has actively joined its activities, contributing to ensuring common interests of developing countries, promoting South-South cooperation while guaranteeing Viet Nam's development priorities and interests in accordance with its policy of raising the level of multilateral diplomacy.

 The event drew the participation of more than 300 delegates, including ministers, deputy ministers, ambassadors-heads of delegations from 131 G77 member states and representatives of the UN agencies.

 They adopted a document highlighting a need to take immediate actions to achieve SDGs in the motto of leaving no one behind.

 On the sidelines of the event, Hang greeted and talked with representatives of Cuba, Azerbaijan, Colombia and Pakistan. They spoke highly of Viet Nam's socio-economic performance in 2022, and its role and contributions at multilateral mechanisms, especially the UN./.