Hanoi (VNA) – The VietnamSustainability Forum 2019 took place in Hanoi on January 18 following thesuccessful organisation of the first event last year.

The forum creates a platform for policymakers,non-governmental organisations, businesspeople, and experts at home and abroadto exchange ideas to promote economic growth and sustainable society.

Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment LeQuang Manh said Vietnam needs more effective solutions to address sustainableissues in the fields of human resources, climate change adaptation, smartagriculture, environment, and the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

“Promoting sustainable development is not onlyabout economic development, but also the settlement of social issues andenvironmental protection,” he said.

In 2018, Vietnam recorded the region’s highestGDP growth at 7.08 percent as well as a trade surplus of 7.21 billion USD,tripling that of 2017.

The agricultural sector posted the highestgrowth in the past seven years with an export turnover of 40.02 billion USD. Vietnamhas become a middle-income country with the rate of poverty declining from over60 percent in 1986 to around 7 percent at present. 

The scale of the economy has increased more than17.4 times from 14 billion USD in 1985 to 244 billion USD in 2018. The average incomeper capita rose to nearly 2,540 USD from 230 USD in 1985.

Manh said the implementation of the nationalsocio-economic development strategy in 2011-2020 will bring enormous benefitsto the country’s sustainable development, including the improvement ofbiodiversity, the reduction of environmental pollution, and a more responsibleuse of natural resources.

Nguyen Duc Khuong, Chairman of the Associationof Vietnamese Scientists and Experts (AVSE Global), said rapid and sustainablegrowth much depends on the quantity and quality of human resources, especially asscience-technology and innovation play key roles in creating added value.

He added that human resources is the decisivefactor in labour and capital productivity. A strategy focusing on the qualityof human resources will help Vietnam gain access to sustainable developmenttrends and digital transformation, he said.

Caitlin Wiesen, Country Director of the UnitedNations Development Programme (UNDP) in Vietnam, spoke highly of Vietnam’ssocio-economic achievements gained in 2018, including accomplishments inpoverty reduction.

She stressed the need to ensure sustainablegrowth through the integration of economic development with social welfare.

Vietnam needs to work towards promotinginnovation and protecting the environment, as well as applying green and moderntechnologies, she suggested. –VNA