Vietnamese State President Lương Cường reaffirmed Vietnam’s trust in and support for multilateralism and the United Nations’ central role in global governance during a meeting with UN Secretary-General António Guterres in New York on Sunday.
The meeting, held on the sidelines of the High-level General Debate of the 80th Session of the UN General Assembly, focused on UN reforms, sustainable development, and global cooperation in addressing shared challenges.
Congratulating the Secretary-General on the UN’s 80th anniversary, President Cường voiced Vietnam’s backing for comprehensive UN reforms, stressing that member states must take the lead in this process to ensure transparency and inclusivity. He also expressed Vietnam’s readiness to host UN headquarters or offices in the country.
Highlighting Vietnam’s socio-economic achievements and its progress in realizing the Sustainable Development Goals, President Cường cited positive developments in the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) and called for stronger support from the UN and international partners. He urged greater technical assistance, capacity building, and resource mobilization to enable developing countries, including Vietnam, to access concessional climate finance and next-generation clean technologies.
Secretary-General Guterres, in turn, underscored the multidimensional challenges confronting both the UN and the international community, while emphasizing the need for strengthened global collaboration and reforms to enhance the UN’s operational effectiveness. He expressed deep appreciation for Vietnam’s contributions across priority areas, particularly peacekeeping, sustainable development, climate action, and just energy transition.
Conveying his admiration for Vietnam’s socio-economic progress and growing international standing, Guterres described Vietnam as a key partner and a pillar of today’s multipolar world, adding that emerging economies such as Vietnam deserve greater voice and representation in global governance. He also confirmed plans to pay an official visit to Vietnam in late October.
Both sides agreed to deepen Vietnam–UN and ASEAN–UN cooperation, reaffirm ASEAN’s central role in the regional security and development architecture, and promote the peaceful resolution of disputes in the East Sea (South China Sea) in line with the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
The meeting concluded with both parties highlighting the upcoming signing ceremony of the UN Convention against Cybercrime, scheduled to take place in Hanoi in late October, as a landmark event in international cooperation.