During the meeting, the two sides held in-depth discussions on cooperation between Viet Nam and UNCITRAL, based on the Memorandum of Understanding signed in 2023 between the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the UNCITRAL Secretariat. The MoU lays the foundation for enhanced technical assistance and legal capacity building in the field of international trade for Viet Nam.
The meeting took place ahead of UNCITRAL’s 58th session, scheduled to be held in Vienna from July 7 to 23.
Speaking at the session, Ambassador Vu Le Thai Hoang expressed appreciation for UNCITRAL’s support to Viet Nam through technical assistance and capacity-building projects in recent years. He affirmed that Viet Nam highly values UNCITRAL’s role and efforts in assisting developing countries in building and implementing international trade law.
The ambassador expressed his confidence that the forthcoming signing of a new Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the UNCITRAL Secretariat, to be held during the 58th session, would provide a solid basis for furthering substantive cooperation between Viet Nam and UNCITRAL in the coming period.
Anna Joubin-Bret commended Viet Nam’s active participation in UNCITRAL Working Groups, especially during its first term (2019–2025), and welcomed Viet Nam’s re-election for the 2025–2031 term with a high number of votes. She affirmed that UNCITRAL is ready to closely coordinate with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and relevant Vietnamese agencies to effectively implement the specific activities under the MoU.
In addition, the two sides discussed Viet Nam’s initiative to propose that UNCITRAL study and develop an international legal framework for cross-border carbon credit markets. This initiative was assessed as highly practical in the context of the expanding carbon trade, which currently lacks a comprehensive legal framework.
To advance this initiative, the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs is working with UNCITRAL to organise a dedicated international side event on carbon credit markets, scheduled for July 15 within the framework of UNCITRAL’s 58th session.
