Reporter: Thank you for taking your time with us, Ms. Tamesis. What does the participation of Vietnam’s top leader at UNGA 81 signal to the international community?
Pauline Tamesis: The high-level delegation from Vietnam headed by no other than the Party General Secretary and State President sends a very clear and strong message about the importance that the country attaches to the United Nations and to multilateralism, at a time when international cooperation is needed more than ever.
He also expressed readiness for Vietnam to serve as a bridge for cooperation and dialogue, and to make increasingly substantive contributions to addressing shared global challenges.
It also tells an important story about Vietnam’s development journey and its relationship with the United Nations. Over the decades, Vietnam has transformed from a country emerging from war and isolation into an upper-middle-income country, a deeply integrated economy, and an increasingly active contributor to regional and global affairs. As the General Secretary and State President acknowledged, international solidarity and cooperation have been an important part of that journey.
So this visit is important not only for the Viet Nam–UN partnership. It is also an opportunity for Vietnam to bring its perspectives, experience and aspirations to the global conversation at a critical moment for multilateralism.
In that sense, the partnership is increasingly a two-way partnership: the United Nations supporting Vietnam’s development aspirations, and Vietnam contributing its experience, leadership and solutions to our shared global agenda.
Reporter: How has Vietnam’s development journey shaped its growing role as a bridge-builder for dialogue, cooperation and peace, as you said?
Pauline Tamesis: Vietnam today brings to multilateral cooperation its own experience of transformation—from post-war reconstruction and poverty reduction to economic integration, sustainable development and, lessons about its remarkable journey as an upper-middle-income country. Increasingly, that experience is being shared beyond Vietnam’s borders through its contributions to UN peacekeeping, its engagement in the Human Rights Council and the Security Council, and its active participation across the UN development system.
This gives particular value to Vietnam’s role as a bridge-builder. At a time of growing geopolitical fragmentation, countries that can promote dialogue, build confidence and help identify common ground are increasingly important. Vietnam’s own experience demonstrates the value of peace, international cooperation and development as mutually reinforcing objectives.
This is also the vision behind the new UN–Viet Nam Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework for 2027–2031: a more strategic, two-way partnership. The United Nations will continue bringing global knowledge, expertise and partnerships to support Vietnam’s development ambitions. At the same time, Vietnam’s experience, innovations and solutions can increasingly contribute to regional and global progress.
Reporter: The UN and Vietnam are preparing a new Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework for 2027-2031. How is this partnership evolving to meet Vietnam’s development aspirations and emerging challenges?
Pauline Tamesis: Protecting its hard-won development gains is everything. That is really what our new UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework for 2027–2031 is all about—it serves as our strategic compact with the government to get the Sustainable Development Goals back on track.
When you look at the reality on the ground—where extreme weather and climate shocks cost the country 1 to 1.5% of GDP every year—we know we have to act decisively. To tackle this, our partnership ranges across many interlinked areas:
From resilient infrastructure to climate action: we are partnering with the government to build climate resilience directly into infrastructure and agri-food systems.
Adaptive capacity and energy transition: We are helping to improve early warning systems and anticipatory action for disaster risks. This includes modernizing weather observation networks. Actions can also include harnessing AI and digital tools for real-time risk forecasting, while driving clean energy expansion through frameworks like JETP.
Investing in people and expanding Social Protection: Through closely interlinked efforts in inclusive human development and economic transformation, we are expanding rights-based, gender-transformative social protection systems. This ensures vulnerable groups like ethnic minorities, informal workers, and older persons are shielded from shocks.
Our goal is to help Vietnam demonstrate that economic growth, social inclusion, and climate ambition can all advance together. By building resilience right now, Vietnam can protect its past achievements and build a greener, more prosperous future for everyone.
Reporter: Now back to UNGA 81. Its theme is "Restoring Trust, Managing Transformation: A United Nations That Delivers for All". In a world facing compounding global crises, why is this theme so critical right now?
Pauline Tamesis: Rebuilding trust in the multilateral system is the defining challenge of our time. We are living through a period of profound uncertainty. Conflicts and geopolitical divisions, persistent poverty and inequality, worsening climate impacts, record displacement of people, declining resources for development and humanitarian action, and rapid technological change. These are global challenges that require multilateral solutions. Against this backdrop, restoring trust cannot simply mean reaffirming our commitment to multilateralism. Trust must be earned through results.
Committing to multilateralism requires member states touphold international law and human rights. To accelerate sustainable development and respond to climate change. Global solidarity and collective action will need to ensure that major shifts—such as green transition and digital transformation—work for all people and leave no one behind.
This is why the second part of the theme—“Managing Transformation: A United Nations That Delivers for All”—is equally important. The world is changing rapidly, and our multilateral institutions must change with it. We need a United Nations that is more effective, coherent and responsive. We need a United Nations better equipped to turn global commitments into tangible improvements in people’s lives.
Reporter: That was Pauline Tamesis, UN Resident Coordinator in Vietnam, highlighting Vietnam’s role in multilateral mechanisms, and how a dynamic two-way partnership is driving sustainable development and resilience for Vietnam and the world.
