At the meeting (Photo: VNA)

Vietnam represented at 43rd Session of Ministerial-level FAO Conference

A Vietnamese delegation led by Ambassador to Italy Duong Hai Hung, Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), attended the 43rd Session of the Ministerial-level FAO Conference in Rome, Italy, from July 1-7.

The biennial event aims to adopt the working agenda and budget of FAO for the next two years, as well as provide recommendations on food and agriculture, and consider global governance policy issues, cited VOV.

Addressing the opening session, Singaporean Coordinating Minister for Social Policies and Co-chair of the Global Commission on the Economics of Water Tharman Shanmugaratnam underscored the need to improve the effectiveness of water resource management to achieve the global goals related to poverty reduction, climate change response and global environment.

He also hailed Vietnam's successful innovations in reducing water usage in agriculture through the use of sensors and innovative irrigation practices, citing the VnSAT project as a successful model in water-saving irrigation.

The election of the new FAO Director-General for the 2023-2027 tenure was conducted through a secret ballot on July 2.

Vietnamese, German localities beef up ties

Vietnamese Ambassador to Germany Vu Quang Minh on June 30 held a working session with Nadja Zivkovic, Mayor of Marzahn-Hellersdorf borough of Berlin, to discuss ways to beef up its cooperation with Vietnamese localities via specific projects in the near future.

Minh hoped that Marzahn-Hellersdorf would continue offering support to the overseas Vietnamese community there, enabling them to grow stronger and make even more positive and diverse contributions to the borough's development, including the Pacific Trade Centre or Vietnamese pagodas within the borough.

Speaking highly of a cooperation agreement between the borough and Hanoi’s Hoang Mai district, he underlined the need to resume cooperative relations after over two years of disruption due to the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in education, vocational training, nursing and green technology.

According to the diplomat, the amendments to the Immigration Law recently approved by the German federal parliament will provide good opportunities for Vietnamese people to integrate even further into their second homeland.

Vietnam is ready to partner with the borough to materialise these opportunities, especially in education, vocational training, nursing and more, he said.

As several German states and cities are fostering relations with Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City of Vietnam, the ambassador suggested that apart from Hoang Mai district, Marzahn-Hellersdorf should consider expanding collaboration with districts in Ho Chi Minh City - a dynamic and rapidly developing city with several underway German projects, according to VNA.

At the working session (Photo: VNA)

Zivkovic, for her part, lauded the OV community's integration and contributions in the borough and committed to provide all possible support for them for common development.

She hoped to visit Hoang Mai district in November together with a delegation of businesses working in areas where both sides have interest.

Hoang Mai is one of the six districts/cities worldwide with which Marzahn-Hellersdorf has established a partnership. The borough also named a street "Hanoi" (Hanoier Strasse) in compliance with the regulations to name streets after cities rather than districts.

According to preliminary statistics, there are close to 5,000 Vietnamese people residing and working in Marzahn-Hellersdorf at present.

French firms keen to boost maritime economic cooperation with Vietnam

The Chamber of Commerce of Industry (CCI) of Morbihan province organized a seminar on ramping up economic cooperation between French enterprises and Vietnam in Lorient city of the Bretagne region on June 30.

Those in attendance at the event included representatives from the Vietnamese Embassy and Ministry of Trade and Investment Planning in France as well as local businesses.

In his address at the event, Chairman of the Morbihan CCI Philippe Rouault showed his elation at the working trip to the province by Vietnamese Ambassador Dinh Toan Thang, especially when both nations are celebrating the 50th founding anniversary of Vietnam-France diplomatic ties and the 10th anniversary of their strategic partnership.

Rouault also introduced economic cooperation potential of Morbihan province, especially in the field of marine economy and management, and marine environment protection, reported VOV.

Vietnamese Ambassador Dinh Toan Thang at the event. (Photo: VNA)

Many businesses in the province as well as in the region are keen to develop operations in Vietnam and Southeast Asia, he said, while highlighting the seminar as an opportunity for the two sides to get a better understanding of the situation and potential of cooperation between the two sides.

For his part, Thang briefed participants on the situation of the Vietnamese economy, one of the most dynamic economies in Southeast Asia and the Asia-Pacific region with many bilateral and multilateral free trade agreements with countries and regions around the world.

The Vietnamese stated that France is one of Vietnam’s important economic partners in Europe in term of trade and investment, and hoped that Morbihan's businesses will promote economic cooperation and investment projects in Vietnam in the coming time.

At the seminar, French businesses introduced projects that are cooperating with Vietnamese partners as well as orientations and wishes to cooperate with Vietnam in the time ahead in a number of fields such as seabed and coastal survey, sea water treatment to produce fresh water for offshore fishing boats or islands lacking fresh water, among others.

On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations, the Vietnamese Embassy in France has launched a broad array of activities to further enhance economic, trade and investment relations between the two sides.

After the seminar, the delegation of the Vietnamese Embassy visited a number of local businesses that are implementing cooperation projects with Vietnamese partners.

Green consumption trend reshapes retail market

Many domestic enterprises are renewing their business methods to catch up with the green consumption trend.

Consumers are changing their consumption behaviours toward a more sustainable lifestyle, including reducing plastic waste, only buying essential goods or classifying garbage for recycling, said Northern Region Manager of NielsenIQ Vietnam Dang Thuy Ha.

The key factors influencing consumption behaviours include reasonable prices, safety and hygiene, healthiness, trustworthy brands, environmental sustainability and friendliness so that retailers could employ several strategies to encourage green consumption, she said.

Illustrative image (Photo: vneconomy.vn)

Ha suggested common options such as using electric vehicles for transport, providing organic products, reducing food waste, or offering loyalty rewards for purchasing sustainable products, cited VNA.

Over the past years, many green consumption models have gained popularity in the community, such as using banana leaves to package fruits and vegetables, using glass water bottles, bamboo or paper straws, replacing plastic cups with paper cups, and using fabric bags instead of plastic bags.

Ha advised manufacturers to carry out the efficiency of their emission reduction action plans by internal or third-party experts, replace and reduce plastics in packaging and commit to using sustainable and eco-friendly energy.

At the same time, they should develop technologies to collect data on emission levels; apply sensor, AI and automation technologies to improve supply chains and reduce the waste of water, energy and materials.

Dr. Vo Tri Thanh, Director of the Institute for Brand and Competitiveness Strategy, said the green and sustainable development trends have been discussed more than ever before.

However, he also admitted that almost small and medium-sized enterprises lack capital for green production.

Ceremony held to pay tribute to fallen soldiers

On July 1, the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha's (VBS) Executive Council held a ceremony to pray for world peace and the country's prosperity and shape lanterns to show the nation’s gratitude towards fallen soldiers.

This is an activity towards the 76th anniversary of War Invalids and Martyrs Day (July 27, 1947-July 27, 2023), reported NDO.

Lotus-shaped lanterns form a Vietnamese map to pray for world peace and the country's prosperity.

The ceremony is an activity organised annually by the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha, expressing deep gratitude for the great contributions of the ancestors, and the heroic sacrifices of the heroes and martyrs, for the national construction and defence cause.

This is a meaningful activity, contributing to educating the young generation to promote the heroic tradition of the nation, making efforts to study and practice to build a rich, beautiful and civilized homeland.

At the ceremony, ten thousand lanterns were lit, each lantern is a prayer, of good wishes for themselves and everyone.

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