Resident representatives of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in Asia-Pacific convened in Vietnam's capital Hanoi on Friday.

During the meeting, Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai said the UNDP has become an important development partner of Vietnam, making pragmatic contribution to the work of poverty reduction, policy consultation and capacity building.

Hai expressed his gratitude for the effective support from international community, including UNDP, in its socio-economic development.

The deputy prime minister affirmed Vietnam's willingness in facilitating the work of UNDP in the country, wishing to receive more support from the UN in fields of development cooperation, building national strategy on sustainable development and policies on climate change, as well as the realization of the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

Addressing the meeting, UNDP Administrator Helen Clark praised Vietnam for recording remarkable achievements in realizing MDGs, especially in poverty reduction and education. In 2010, the country ranked sixth in MDGs progress.

Clark suggested that in its long-term development process, Vietnam should take good use of energy, consider sustainable poverty reduction and human resource development. The UN official committed to assisting Vietnam on green growth strategy and fulfilling the goals of gender equality and promoting rights of women.

At the meeting, delegates discussed situation of regional countries, debated on a joint plan on the implementation of UN reforms and measures to accelerate the UNDP's strategic plan in Asia-Pacific in 2014-2017 period.

The annual meeting of UNDP will last until Saturday with the participation of resident representatives from 26 countries in Asia-Pacific. Endi