Vietnam’s Deputy Representative to the UN, Ambassador Bui The Giang, delivered this message at the UN High-Level Conference on South-South Cooperation which opened in the Kenyan capital city of Nairobi on December 1.

The diplomat said that based on  South-South cooperation, similarities in historical circumstances, traditions, experiences and development levels presents a special partnership among countries of the South. “It is the partnership of equals aimed at extending solidarity to each other, sharing sympathy with each other and helping each other in their efforts to achieve development goals,” he stressed.
Like other cooperative ties, the South-South partnership requires a sense of responsibility, transparency and close coordination among the concerned parties and ensures self-reliance and leadership role of recipient countries, the ambassador said.

Giang noted that, after years of being oppressed and exploited by foreign invaders, southern nations need assistance to develop actually. He took this occasion to applaud support provided by international organisations, developed countries and non-governmental organisations.
He said the growing cooperation between Vietnam and African nations with financial support extended by an international organisation or a developed country since late the 1960s can be seen as good model. According to the ambassador, such cooperation would only bear fruits once it was based on the principles of mutual trust and respect for independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and non-interference in each other’s internal affairs.

Giang spoke highly of the role of the UN and its agencies, particularly the United Nations Development Programme’s Special Unit for South-South Cooperation, in promoting South-South and tripartite cooperation.

The diplomat called upon the UN, international and non-governmental organisations as well as developed nations to maintain cooperative ties and provide greater support for countries of the South, thus contributing to the fulfillment of the international community’s targets, including the Millennium Development Goals.