Source: Voice of Vietnam (Viet Nam)
Source type: Radio
Published on: 19 Apr 2011

Posted on: 10 May 2011

(VOV) - Economic growth should be associated with social progress and equality, said Minister of Labour, Invalids, and Social Affairs Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan. Minister Ngan stated Vietnam’s point of view when opening the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) forum, which is jointly held by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) and the Ministry of Labour, Invalids, and Social Affairs (MOLISA) in Hanoi on April 18 and 19.

She said that ASEM should strengthen cooperation with the international community to ensure the sustainability of socioeconomic achievements and implement the Millennium Development Goals as the world faces so many epidemics and natural disasters.

Participants at the forum discussed ways to assess and deal with social impacts by maintaining social safety nets to ensure equal opportunities and allocation of resources, foster sustainable economic development, reduce poverty, and stabilize the macro economy.

They agreed that social safety nets should be implemented on a national basis, taking into consideration the country’s resources and situation.

The European Commission and the International Labour Organisation proposed that nations should pay attention to ensuring a minimum level of social safety for poor and vulnerable people by providing them with essential services.

Participants also proposed solutions to strengthen cooperation in dealing with the impacts of the economic crisis for further recovery and sustainable development.

The ASEM forum is an initiative of Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung. It was approved at the eighth ASEM in Brussels in October, 2010 and is supported and sponsored by the Government of Finland.