Director-General of UNOG meets with the
Prime Minister of Viet Nam

On Tuesday, 26 January 2010, Sergei A. Ordzhonikidze, Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva, met with H.E. Mr. Nguyen Tan Dung, Prime Minister of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam.

The Director-General and the Prime Minister exchanged views on a range of issues, including global and regional security, development, climate change and the work of the United Nations system in Geneva. The Prime Minister outlined Viet Nam’s efforts to mitigate the impact of the economic and financial crisis, and thanked for the concerted efforts of the United Nations family in Viet Nam, including in the framework of the “One UN” initiative. He voiced hope for progress towards multilateral disarmament, which could liberate resources for development efforts.

The Director-General expressed appreciation for Viet Nam’s steadfast support for the United Nations and the country’s varied contributions across the Organization, also in the role as one of the 2009 Presidents of the Conference on Disarmament. He noted Viet Nam’s rapid progress towards realizing the United Nations Millennium Development Goals and encouraged the country to share its experience in this regard, including at the Millennium Development Goals Summit to take place next September.

The Director-General congratulated the Prime Minister on Vietnam’s assumption of the 2010 Chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as a recognition of Viet Nam’s important role in regional and international cooperation.