Good afternoon.
Toy that voo-ee dir-arch gap card ban. [“I am glad to be with you all.”]
It is my great honour and pleasure to visit this august body of National Assembly. I deeply appreciate the opportunity to speak to you today.
In fact, I was invited to come here to address the meeting of the Inter-Parliamentary Union that opened here on March 28th.
At that time, unfortunately I had many other pressing engagements so I was not able to attend. However, I followed the deliberations and I was gratified to hear that the IPU had a strong outcome on sustainable development and climate change.
I place great value in parliamentarians because you are the direct link to the people, and you can turn mandates into action.
Distinguished members of the National Assembly,
My message today is simple: Viet Nam and the United Nations are natural partners. I am here to strengthen our partnership even more for the future of our world.
This is my second time visiting your beautiful country as Secretary-General of the United Nations.
On each trip, I saw impressive growth. Viet Nam is showing the world that a tragic past can open a prosperous present. And I am confident that you will achieve even more dramatic development in the future.
Even though my visit this time is brief, I had very positive talks with senior officials and party leadership, including the President, the Prime Minister, the General Secretary of the Communist Party and the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs. I look forward – it is a great honour to have an opportunity to meet the Speaker of the National Assembly after this speech.
His Excellency President Truong Tan Sang committed to attending the United Nations Special Summit on Sustainable Development yesterday. He will join other world leaders in adopting a new, bold and universal agenda to realize our vision of a life of dignity for all the people of the world.
Viet Nam is also well-aware of the need for effective global action on climate change. I count on Viet Nam’s constructive engagement at the Climate Change Conference in Paris in December.
Looking back, Viet Nam was a leader on the Millennium Development Goals. It was one of just eight countries worldwide to pioneer our Delivering as One approach. This enabled the United Nations to show the world how to effectively operate and get results.
Earlier today, I had the honour of inaugurating the Green One UN House. It stands as a living symbol of our commitment to live by our principles. And it sets an example for other United Nations offices to follow.
Looking ahead, Viet Nam will draw on its rich experience and talented people to continue leading on the next generation of sustainable development goal.
The world faces unprecedented peace and security threats and humanitarian challenges.
The United Nations has been called upon as never before to respond.
I am following with grave concern the plight migrants around the world, including in the Andaman Sea and Straits of Malacca.
We are also coping with the rise of violent extremism in various parts of the world.
There are more refugees in our world than at any time since the end of the Second World War. More United Nations peacekeepers are deployed than at any time in our history. And more than ever, threats are interconnected.
To surmount these challenges, we need global solidarity.
We need to stand together as one human family
The participation of Viet Nam in United Nations peacekeeping perfectly expresses this spirit.
I salute the brave Vietnamese who have travelled far from their homes to help suffering people in the Central African Republic and South Sudan.
I had the privilege of visiting your Peacekeeping Centre on its one-year anniversary. I applaud how you are training new generations of peacekeepers for our global operations.
I commend the Government for its commitment.
And I look to Viet Nam to continue cooperating with the United Nations to create a better world for all.
C?m on r?t nhi?u. [“Thank you very much.”]