FAO praises Vietnam's achievements in poverty reduction

The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) considers Vietnam a typical success story in encouraging the development of agriculture, rural modernisation, effective poverty reduction, and national food security.

Harvesting corn in Van Chan district, Yen Bai province (Image credit: Nhan Dan)

Vietnam is a shining example for developing countries to follow, especially in the context of complicated climate change threatening global food security.

FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva made these remarks during a meeting with the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Cao Duc Phat at the organisation's headquarters in Rome, Italy, on October 8.

Graziano da Silva thanked the Government of Vietnam for facilitating effective implementation of FAO projects in the country. The FAO leader said that Vietnam would continue to share its valuable experiences through active participation within the framework of South-South co-operation. He vowed to continue promoting co-operation between FAO and Vietnam to help the country fulfill the Millennium Development Goals and FAO objectives.

For his part, Minister Cao Duc Phat highlighted efforts from the Government and people of Vietnam in the fields of agriculture, food security, poverty reduction, and scientific and technological application to help reduce environmental pollution.

The Vietnamese minister affirmed Vietnam’s stance of supporting initiatives and activities by FAO, as well as sending experts and agricultural varieties to support development of agriculture, forestry and fisheries in Africa, Latin America and Asia.

Phat expressed his appreciation for FAO assistance in recent years, with more than 400 FAO-funded agricultural projects currently being implemented throughout the country.

Phat said Vietnam hoped to continue to receive support from FAO for agricultural co-operation projects, with a focus on food security, nutritional improvement, climate change resilience, environmental protection, and responses to epidemics and diseases.

The minister’s working session was held on the sidelines of the eighth Asia-Europe Parliamentary Partnership Meeting that started in Rome on October 7, where Phat gave an overview of Vietnam’s success in agriculture, poverty alleviation and food security.

(Source: nhandan.org.vn)