Deputy PM hosts heads of delegations to ACCSM 21

Standing Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh hosted a reception in Hanoi on August 4 for heads of delegations of ASEAN and ASEAN Plus+3 countries to the 21st ASEAN Conference on Civil Service Matters (ACCSM 21).

Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh (eighth from left) poses for a photo with the guests. (Photo: VNA)
Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh (eighth from left) poses for a photo with the guests. (Photo: VNA)

Welcoming the guests, Minh said that in terms of civil service cooperation, ASEAN countries have built a vision for the ASEAN Community in 2025, which targets building a strong ASEAN on three pillars: political-security cooperation, economic cooperation, and socio-culture cooperation.

All these three pillars are people-oriented, thus contributing to building good governance in all areas, he stressed.

According to Deputy PM Minh, building civil service governance for the people will improve ASEAN's role and help the bloc develop.

Minh also expressed his wish within the framework of ACCSM 21, which will open on August 5 under the theme of "Modernising civil service toward a cohesive and adaptive ASEAN Community", ASEAN countries will exchange, share and learn from each other’s experience and, together with their partners, namely China, Japan and the Republic of Korea, to create good governance toward the 2025 Vision: A prosperous ASEAN.

On behalf of the heads of civil services, the Head of the Thai delegation appreciated the efforts made by Vietnamese Minister of Home Affairs Pham Thi Thanh Tra and the ministry to fulfil its role as the ACCSM Chair over the past two years.

The official expressed hope that at this conference, countries will continue discussing issues of mutual concern, especially challenges facing ASEAN’s civil service sector after the COVID-19 pandemic, and in the context of changing regional and global situations.

Speaking at the meeting, Minister Tra said that ACCSM 21 is an opportunity for countries in the region to promote research on public reform and modernisation of the civil service sector, and to quickly catch up with digital transformation and the digital economy.

This is also a chance for Vietnam to actively contribute to and implement the priorities and orientations of the ACCSM, she added.