On 24 March 2023 in Hanoi, the Ministry of Planning and Investment and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH jointly organised a consultation workshop on the Draft National Voluntary Review (VNR) on the implementation of Viet Nam's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2023.
The 2030 Agenda was adopted by United Nations member states in September 2015 with a focus on the 17 SDGs. Voluntary National Review on the implementation of the SDGs is a mechanism to monitor and evaluate the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs on a global scale. Every year, VNRs are presented annually to the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) of the United Nations. Viet Nam first developed and participated in the presentation of the VNR in 2018, and will present the second VNR along with 41 other countries in 2023.
In attendance at the VNR workshop were delegates from ministries, state agencies, national and international organisations, business associations, experts and press agencies.
In his opening remarks, Dr Le Viet Anh, Director of Department of Science, Education, Natural Resources and Environment at MPI said: “By participating in the 2023 Voluntary National Review, Viet Nam wishes to share our achievements and progress in the implementation of the SDGs, to share challenges, lessons learned encountered in this process and provide orientations and key activities in the remaining half of the journey. Participation in the Voluntary National Review 2023 affirms Viet Nam's continued commitment to joining the international community in the implementation of SDGs towards a sustainable, inclusive and prosperous world for everyone.”
Dr Le Viet Anh acknowledged the valuable contributions of national and international stakeholders, especially the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany, for their important support in the preparation and completion of the VNR, and the United Nations for technical assistance in the VNR drafting.
GIZ representative Mr. Dennis Quennet, Chief Technical Advisor of the Macroeconomic Reform/Green Growth Programme, remarked: “Voluntary National Review is one of critical factors in reviewing and implementing the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development
Goals for many countries around the world, including Germany and Viet Nam. GIZ will continue our collaboration with the Ministry of Planning and Investment, through sharing German and international relevant expertise and practices, to ensure that Viet Nam achieves sustainable economic growth commitments. This will in turn benefit the country in many ways, such as social justice, better managed and used resources, protected ecological environment and more proactive response to climate change.”
Ms. Naomi Kitahara, Acting Resident Coordinator of the UN, highly appreciated the Government of Viet Nam for using innovative data sources, based on in-depth analysis, and mobilizing multiple stakeholders to participate in the development of VNR 2023. Ms. Kitahara pointed out that investing in social protection and energy transition alone can accelerate the progress of the SDGs: “The UN estimates that each Viet Nam Dong invested in social security can generate more than than a Dong in GDP, ensuring greater socio-economic benefits, contributing to sustainable and inclusive growth, and leaving no one behind”. The UN encourages the
Government of Viet Nam to continue developing and implementing follow-up actions to accelerate the implementation of SDGs after the VNR is completed.
Participants also discussed and commented on the Draft VNR and proposed priority areas for SDG implementation in the coming time.
Representatives of ministries, sectors, national and international agencies attending the workshop highly appreciated the efforts of the Ministry of Planning and Investment in preparation of the VNR, creating opportunities for all stakeholders to provide input and have a voice in VNR 2023, contributing to accelerating the implementation of the SDGs by 2030.
