Ambassador Le Hoai Trung (second from right) chairs the dialogue on Feb.24 (Photo: VNA)

“The changing development landscape: What does it mean for the UN system?” was the theme of a high-ranking dialogue chaired by Vietnamese Ambassador Le Hoai Trung at the UN’s headquarters in New York on February 24.

The dialogue took place within the framework of the Operational Activities for Development Segment in the new Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) cycle from February 24-26.

The session discussed the post-2015 agenda, focusing on sustainable development for UN operational activities for development and the changes required at different levels of the UN system to continue as a major player in international development cooperation.

The ECOSCO devoted the rest of the dialogue to evaluating the operation and coordination of funds such as the UN Development Programme, the UN Children’s Fund, the UN Population Fund and the World Food Programme.

Speaking with the Vietnam News Agency, Ambassador Trung, who is also Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the UN, said this is the first time the council has organised an exclusive session on the UN’s development cooperation.

The event is of special significance because at the current time both developing and developed nations around the world are conducting economic reform, the diplomat said.

He underlined the need for the UN to carry out renovations to fulfill the countries’ demands, noting the task is urgent as the UN itself is also facing a range of new challenges.

According to the ambassador, UN organisations and donors have highly valued Vietnam’s development achievements as well as the country’s cooperation in this field.

At the session, representatives of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development also described Vietnam as a success story, said Trung.

Vietnam’s role has been praised by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon as well as leaders of UN funds and programmes, he said, explaining why the country was selected as the chair of the dialogue.

Kanni Wignaraja, Director of UN Development Operations Coordination Office, said as a rapidly developing nation, Vietnam has always tried its best to ensure sustainable development.

The country has won middle-income status and made a lot of contributions to other developing countries, Wignaraja, who once worked for the UNDP in Vietnam for a decade, added, expressing her hope that the country will continue growing strongly now it has entered the international arena.

VNA