2018 High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development: Viet Nam

The 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are in line with the long-term development strategy of Viet Nam. In our endeavour to achieve this agenda, the Government of Viet Nam is committed to mobilizing all resources and the participation of government ministries and agencies at all levels, organizations, communities and the people.

Seventeen global SDGs have been nationalized into 115 Viet Nam SDG (VSDG) targets in our “National Action Plan for Implementation of Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development”, based on Viet Nam’s development context and priorities, and building on the successful implementation of the Millennium Development Goals. In addition, Viet Nam has paid particular attention to vulnerable groups such as the poor, people with disabilities, women, children and ethnic minorities through a number of policies aimed at promoting social equality to ensure that no one is left behind.

To date, Viet Nam is proud to have achieved a number of SDG-related results, including: (1) A substantial reduction in the national multi-dimensional poverty rate from 9.9 per cent in 2015 to less than 7 per cent in 2017; (2) Health insurance coverage reaching 86.4 per cent in 2017; (3) A primary net enrolment rate of 99.0 per cent; (4) Women’s representation in the National Assembly in the 2016-2021 term reaching 26.7 per cent; (5) The proportion of households having access to safe water reaching 93.4 per cent in 2016; (6) Access to electricity by more than 99 per cent of Vietnamese households in 2016; (7) Internet use reaching 54.2 per cent; (8) Annual GDP growth rates at 6.7, 6.2, and 6.8 per cent for 2015, 2016, and 2017 respectively; (9) Improvements in the protection and management of the environment and natural resources and an increase in forest cover to 41.5 per cent in 2017; and (10) A reduction in inequality and an improvement in the promotion of access to justice and information.

Moreover, sustainable development principles have been thoroughly mainstreamed into the 2011-2020 Social and Economic Development Strategy (SEDS) and the 2016-2020 Social and Economic Development Plan (SEDP). In the coming years, the SDGs will be fully and further integrated into Viet Nam’s 2021-2030 SEDS and 2021-2025 SEDP.

The Government of Viet Nam has created an enabling legal environment and encouraged foreign and domestic private sectors to invest and do business in line with sustainable development principles. Accordingly, the Viet Nam Business Council for Sustainable Development is an initiative aimed at enhancing connections within the business community to enable them to share and spread good practices, as well as to play an important role in realizing the SDGs.

Viet Nam is now a lower middle-income country and is also one of the most affected countries by climate change. Increasingly integrated into the world economy, Viet Nam is therefore more vulnerable to its fluctuations. As such, to successfully achieve all 17 SDGs, Viet Nam requires technical and human resources, financial support, as well as strengthened cooperation and exchange of knowledge with the international community. At the same time, Viet Nam is eager to share its own experiences and innovative approaches with other countries.

Going forward, Viet Nam will therefore need to: improve society’s awareness of and mobilize all stakeholders’ participation in sustainable development efforts; enhance institutional set-up and policy frameworks for sustainable development; foster cooperation between the Government and the business sector, domestic organizations, and the international community in SDG implementation; issue national SDG indicators and strengthen national statistical capacity; mainstream SDGs into development policies and strategies; and strengthen the mobilization of resources, particularly from the private sector for SDG implementation.

The preparation of the VNR thus provides an opportunity to raise SDG awareness and mobilize the participation of different stakeholders including the National Assembly, the Government, the United Nations in Viet Nam, Political, Social, Professional and Mass Organizations, international and local NGOs, the business community, and other development partners.

Viet Nam is confident that it will succeed in implementing the 2030 Agenda for current and future generations. In our enduring commitment as a responsible member of the international community, Viet Nam will continue to contribute positively to global efforts aimed at leaving no one and no country behind. This is our global endeavour for sustainable development.