Hanoi (VNA) – The 12th Vietnꦏam-France cooperationconference with the theme "The driving force for sustainable andcomprehensive recovery and development after the COVID-19 pandemic"wrapped up successfully in Hanoi on April 15.

Taking place at a time when Vietnam and France are celebrating the50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations and the 10thanniversary of their strategic partnership, the conference showed the role andprestige of this cooperation mechanism with the participation of 50 localities ofVietnam and 12 localities of France, and many state and private organisationsof the two sides. Speaking at the closing ceremony, Chairman of the HanoiPeople's Committee Tran Sy Thanh affirmed that after the three-day conference, more discussions and exchanges will be continued on other forums torealise the conference’s goals of creating new connections, new partners, andnew successes. The joint statementissued at the conference pointed out that environmental and climate changes arecaused by human activities, reaffirming the determination to cooperate, basedon the potential of experience exchanges in sustainable development, especiallyeffective water management. Participants at the conference agreed thatenvironmental protection is a solid basis for sustainable socio-economicdevelopment. There is a need to quickly adapt to digital transformation,which is now becoming a big challenge for socio-economic transformation, affirmingthat the cooperation between Vietnamese and French localities can offer neweffective actions and solutions to successfully lead the transformation,through sharing common perceptions, policies, and experiences of success andfailure in the development of a digital ecosystem, digital economy, digitalsociety, and smart city. In this process, the priority is to improve thequality of public services and the business environment. Challenges of urbanisation for the sustainable developmentof cities and people's lives give people no choice but to develop sustainably. Therefore, it is necessary to promote projects based on a holistic approach andadapt to local conditions to ensure harmony and balance between modernity andtradition, heritage preservation, economic development, environmentalprotection, integration, and preservation of cultural identity. This not onlyrequires a long-term vision of urban planning and management but also solutionsto encourage and mobilise different stakeholders, especially urban residents,to participate in the transition towards a greener, more sustainable stage. According to the joint statement, through discussions onforms of heritage conservation, cultural promotion, and tourism development,the localities of Vietnam and France, with diversity and richness in culture andheritage, have common interests and strengthen cooperation informulating strategies for socio-economic development, green growth, andcultural industries associated with the conservation of tangible and intangibleheritage. The local-level cooperation is essential and indispensablefor achieving the Sustainable Development Goals under the 2030 Agenda. Theconference called for the development of this form of cooperation and committedto implementing the recommendations of the conference, with the support of allstakeholders. On this occasion, localities including Hanoi and Toulouse,Yen Bai and Val-de-Marne; Thua Thien -Hue and Grand Poitiers signed cooperation agreements./.