Together with Ms Pratibha Mehta, there was the appearance of Ms. Louise Chamberlain, Country Director of UNDP in Vietnam and other officers of UNDP. In the VASS side, together with Mr. Nguyen Quang Thuan, President of VASS, there were M.A. Nguyen Thanh Ha, Director of International Cooperation Department, Dr. Nguyen Thang, Director-General of the Center for Analysis and Forecasting and other officers from International Cooperation Department.
In the meeting, Prof. Dr. Nguyen Quang Thuan made a precis of cooperation activities between VASS and UNDP and highly appreciated the cooperation and support of UNDP in recent years. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Quang Thuan also introduced the strengths of multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary research of VASS as well as effective collaboration with boards, departments, ministries, and locals. In the near future, VASS will concentrate on studies and policy consultancy in order to implement positively the content of the documents to the Twelfth Party Congress. VASS is looking forward to more cooperation programmes with UNDP in terms of research and policy consultancy in the current situation where the aim toward the sustainable economic development of Vietnam needs to make a balance between economic growth and social equality. The President of Vietnam Academy of Social Science shared with representatives of UNDP about limited resources with an increase in the demand for collaboration, which raises the urgent need for changes in thinking and doing in this current situation.
In response to the President of VASS, Ms. Pratibha Mehta congratulated him on his new position and expected the maintenance and development in cooperation between the two sides. Ms. Pratibha Mehta emphasized the enhancement in bilateral collaboration in research and policy consultancy in the situation that Vietnam has become a middle-income country. In terms of sustainable development, it is essential to carry out relevant multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary studies in order to achieve desired purposes. The studies are not only academic but also practical in which the beneficiaries and implementers have to attend from the beginning. Ms. Pratibha Mehta stated that Human Development Report confirmed lower middle group and lagging group in Vietnam, therefore, Vietnam needs to focus policies on these groups in order that the report message can be conveyed to the stakeholders. UNDP desires to popularise the content of Human Development Report to stakeholders in both national and local levels. The construction of the theme of the Human Development Report has many changes in the current situation of the world, which requires new ideas and new ways.
At the end of the meeting, the two sides agreed to continue cooperating in 2016 and in years to come so as to conduct Human Development Report, research and consult policies, bring out new themes suitable to the development trend of the world; enhance communication activities and organise discussions to publish and popularise research results of Human Development Report in particular and the results of all studies as a whole. The details of popularising Human Development Report and specific themes of the next reports will continue being discussed by experts of the VASS and UNDP./.
International Cooperation Department
