LocationsPromoting cooperation between the United Nations and Viet Nam
September 4, 2025
UN Assistant Secretary-General and Regional Director for UNDP in Asia and the Pacific Kanni Wignaraja and Vice Minister Trần Quốc Phương.
As published by Viet Nam Investment Review on 4 September, 2025.
Deputy Minister of Finance Tran Quoc Phuong received Kanni Wignaraja, assistant secretary-general of the United Nations, on September 4 to discuss further cooperation.
Speaking at the meeting, Deputy Minister Phuong congratulated the UN on its 80th anniversary and thanked Wignaraja for accompanying Viet Nam’s development over the years, in various titles.
He proposed that the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) align its support with Viet Nam’s priorities, including maintaining macroeconomic stability, controlling inflation, enhancing economic resilience and autonomy, shifting the growth model from extensive to intensive development based on innovation, technology, and sustainability, fostering comprehensive human development, and narrowing regional gaps.
Specifically, the UNDP could support Viet Nam in promoting green, digital, and circular economies; prioritising comprehensive digital transformation and high-tech industries; improving education quality and training high-quality human resources; reducing multidimensional poverty; developing a modern, fair, and inclusive social security system; accelerating energy transition and greenhouse gas emission reductions to meet the net z commitment; strengthening natural resource management and environmental protection; and developing green cities.
"The UNDP’s comparative advantage lies in recommending representatives, experts, and scientists to participate in UN technical and independent committees, such as the Committee on Science and Technology, the Committee on Climate Change, the Committee on Socioeconomic Development, and the Committee on the Law of the Sea," he suggested.
He also highlighted the importance of connecting and learning from other continents and countries to build Viet Nam’s capacity for digital economy development, AI, and regional science, technology, and STEM cooperation, as well as mobilising private sector participation.
On cooperation mechanisms, Phuong proposed resuming tripartite meetings between the UNDP, official development assistance (ODA) management agencies, and project-executing agencies; maintaining regular working mechanisms for alignment in cooperation directions; encouraging the UNDP to proactively share project ideas and funding proposals with development partners and funds to facilitate coordination in mobilisation, formulation, and approval processes; and continuing coordination in monitoring and supervising ongoing projects.
UN Assistant Secretary-General and Regional Director for UNDP in Asia and the Pacific Kanni Wignaraja and Vice Minister Trần Quốc Phương.
Wignaraja, who is also assistant administrator of the UNDP, director of the UNDP's Regional Bureau for Asia-Pacific, and UNDP resident representative in Viet Nam, highly appreciated Viet Nam’s determination to achieve robust GDP growth, while noting important challenges that must be addressed. "UNDP is ready to cooperate with Viet Nam with renewed approaches in optimising public investment, strengthening local governance capacity, and promoting the mobilisation of new financing sources," she emphasised.
She thanked the Ministry of Finance (MoF) for leading the review of ODA regulations and emphasised the need for a streamlined and efficient ODA management system. The UNDP reaffirmed its readiness to support the ministry in this process.
She also called on the ministry, as chair of the Just Energy Transition Partnership Working Group on institutions, policies, and finance, to continue its leading role in mobilising public financial resources, a key factor in leveraging private investment.
"The UNDP looks forward to close cooperation with the MoF and relevant ministries in co-designing the 2027-2031 National Programme to ensure it aligns fully with Viet Nam’s development vision," she said.
The UNDP was one of the first UN organisations to enter Viet Nam after national reunification. To date, it has been working with Viet Nam for 48 years, through nearly 10 cooperation cycles. Each cycle has mobilised and provided more than $200 million, accounting for half of the total aid volume from the entire UN system for Viet Nam.
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