SIAP is a regional institution of the ESCAP, located in Makuhari area of Chiba City, Japan. It has been assisting developing countries in their human resource development through training officials/statisticians not only of countries in Asia and Pacific region but also of Africa, Latin America and Caribbean, and Europe. It was established in Tokyo in 1970 by the initiative of the Japanese government. The main activity of SIAP is to organize statistical training courses, connect and cooperate with international organizations, development partners and disseminate statistical information aimed at serving socio-economic development.

Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam speaks at the 78th session of ESCAP (Source: TTXVN)

Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam leading the Vietnamese delegation to attend the 78th session of the ESCAP on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of ESCAP’s establishment (1947-2022) and 45 years of Viet Nam’s accession to the United Nations (1977-2022) has clearly demonstrated Viet Nam’s commitment and its strong support for ESCAP’s activities to promote sustainable development in the region, which serves as an important foundation for countries to decide to support the nation.

The election is within the framework of the 78th session of the ESCAP underway from May 23 to May 27, in Bangkok, Thailand. Viet Nam is among the top 3 countries with the most votes at the CSAM and the top 5 countries with the highest votes at the SIAP.

Two Vietnamese agencies have won election to the Executive Councils of the United Nations Statistical Institute for Asia and the Pacific (SIAP) and the Centre for Sustainable Agricultural Mechanisation (CSAM) under the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP). The two elected agencies are the General Statistics Office under the Ministry of Planning and Investment and the Viet Nam Institute of Agricultural Engineering & Post Harvest Technology (VIAEP) under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

The Executive Councils of SIAP and CSAM, composed of representatives of the host country and eight other members elected by ESCAP members. They hold their meetings at least once a year, and are responsible for assessing governance, financial activities and implementation of annual and long-term programs of these two organizations.

The election of the GSO and VIAEP to the SIAP and CSAM is viewed as a good opportunity for Viet Nam to step up cooperation with the region in the fields of statistics and agricultural mechanization, thereby contributing to carrying out national development goals and raising the nation’s international profile.

This also shows that ESCAP member countries were appreciative of Viet Nam’s contributions as well as attaching importance to the country’s role and position in the ESCAP.