Trade and Development Board, 33rd special session: Viet Nam confirmed as the host of UNCTAD16

Thank you, Mr. President. Your Excellency Ambassador Bekkers,

Ambassador Mai of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,

Distinguished delegates, Dear friends,

Happy new year to all of you, it’s great to see you all again. Hope you had some restful winter holidays.

Let me begin by expressing my deep gratitude to the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam for their generous offer to host UNCTAD16, and to all of you for officially endorsing their nomination. Ambassador Mai, please extend my gratitude to your government, and especially to you, Prime Minister.

Holding this conference in Viet Nam is particularly meaningful, and let me explain why. As our President noted, Viet Nam represents not just a development success story, but a testament to how trade and development can work together to transform the lives of the people.

The numbers tell an extraordinary tale. From one of the world's poorest nations in the 1980s, Viet Nam has achieved average growth rates of 7% per year over the past three decades. The poverty rate has fallen from 70% to less than 5%. This remarkable journey has made Viet Nam one of the most dynamic economies in Southeast Asia and the world.

What makes Vietnam's success particularly relevant to our work at UNCTAD is how it validates the key areas of focus that have defined our organization's mission for decades.

We see in Viet Nam a living example of how our core working areas come together to drive development.

Look at trade facilitation and logistics. Viet Nam has become a case study in port modernization and trade efficiency. In digital transformation, the country has leveraged e-commerce and digital public infrastructure to accelerate growth and inclusion.

Its approach to structural transformation and industrial policy shows how strategic diversification can look to the future and build economic resilience.

The country's success in attracting and managing foreign investment while building domestic productive capacities exemplifies the balanced approach we advocate. The country's focus on technology transfer and innovation, its investment in human capital and its strategic approach to regional integration all mirror the policy tools and frameworks that UNCTAD also has long promoted.

Particularly important is Viet Nam's commitment to inclusive growth, a key priority for UNCTAD16. Its development model has focused on creating opportunities across society, with special attention to rural development and poverty reduction. The country has also made huge strides in education, with one of the region's highest literacy rates.

Moreover, Viet Nam's role in ASEAN and its increasing prominence in regional trade agreements demonstrates how developing countries can leverage regional integration for development.

Your excellencies,

The timing and location of UNCTAD16 could not be more significant. Asia's growing economic weight, its successful regional integration efforts and its diplomatic leadership make it an ideal venue for reimagining the future of trade and development.

This year will also mark the 70th anniversary of the Bandung Conference – perhaps the first principled declaration for a more inclusive multilateralism, shaped by the voice and aspirations of the developing world, and indeed a precursor to UNCTAD as an institution.

As we gather here today, I look forward to presenting my report on the substantive issues to be addressed by the conference. The theme you have chosen – "Shaping the future: Driving economic transformation for equitable, inclusive and sustainable development" – reflects both the challenges we face and the opportunities before us. It is particularly fitting that we will explore this theme in a country that has demonstrated how such transformation can be achieved.

In the coming months, we will work closely with Viet Nam and all member States to ensure that UNCTAD16 becomes a landmark event. We are proud of the country that will host our conference. Viet Nam is a country that has fought very hard to get to where you are now. Its present stature is worthy of its brilliant past and promising future. And we are honored to stand by its side, in this pivotal year for us all.

I thank you.