UN Deputy Secretary General visits Vietnam to discuss drought

United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson visited Vietnam from May 3 to 6 to discuss a range of issues, including the severe drought situation in Vietnam.

A statement from the UN communications office said the focus of the visit will be on the drought situation in Vietnam.

Mr. Eliason arrived in Ben Tre on May 5 to visit one of the areas suffering the most severe drought in nearly a century due to the influence of El Nino.

In Hanoi, the UN Deputy Secretary-General will speak to students at the Diplomatic Academy, and visit the National Children's Hospital, which has historical ties to former Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme.

During the visit, he will also discuss with senior government officials and UN staff a range of issues, including implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals, preparations for the World Humanitarian Summit and responding to climate change.

Mr. Eliasson also met with Government leaders to discuss the development role of the UN in Viet Nam and the ongoing reform process at the UN.

He is also expected to discuss the efforts Vietnam is making in disaster risk management.

Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr. Jan Eliasson. Photo: un.org

The UN is helping Vietnam promote inclusive, equitable and sustainable development. The UN Mission in Vietnam and the Government are expected to sign a new five-year cooperation plan for Vietnam for the period 2017-2021 in the coming months.

Mr. Eliasson has decades of experience in issues related to diplomacy, conflict resolution and humanitarian action. During the period 1980-1986, Mr. Eliasson was a member of the UN mediation mission during the war between Iran and Iraq, and served as a mediator in the conflicts between Nagorno-Karabakh and Darfur.

Mr. Eliasson was appointed as the first UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs in 1992. He subsequently served as State Secretary for Foreign Affairs and Ambassador of Sweden to the United States.

In 2006, he was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sweden. In March 2012, he was appointed Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and took office on 1 July 2012.

In the face of severe drought in Vietnam, on the afternoon of April 26, the United Nations and its partners called on the international community to provide urgent assistance of 48.5 million USD to Vietnam to cope with the increasingly serious drought that is affecting about 2 million people in the South Central and Southern regions.

According to SGGP