The meeting is part of the framework of the Executive Board Conference of the Francophone Parliamentary Union (APF) and the Francophone Parliamentary Cooperation Forum on sustainable agriculture, food security and climate change response.
The National Assembly Chairwoman expressed her pleasure to meet Ms. Caroline St-Hilaire during her visit to Vietnam and to attend APF activities hosted by the Vietnamese National Assembly. The National Assembly Chairwoman highly appreciated the contributions of OIF and Ms. Caroline St-Hilaire in promoting solidarity and cooperation for peace, democracy and development in the world and in the Francophone space.
The National Assembly Chairman said that responding to climate change, developing sustainable agriculture and ensuring food security are top priorities for developing countries. Parliaments and parliamentarians play an important role in working with governments to discuss, develop and pass laws, national socio-economic development strategies, and implement the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Vietnam is an active and responsible member of the Francophone Community and is heavily affected by climate change. Vietnam always supports the efforts of the Francophone Community in responding to climate change. The Forum in Can Tho is a concrete action within these common efforts.
Ms. Caroline St-Hilaire expressed her joy and gratitude for the warm welcome of President Tran Thanh Man and the Vietnamese National Assembly to the parliamentarians in APF. She was very impressed with Vietnam's economic development achievements. In June this year, OIF will organize a trade and economic survey in Benin, hoping that businesses in Can Tho will actively participate in the survey and sign many cooperation agreements with important businesses and partners.
The National Assembly Chairman expressed his hope that OIF will continue to promote economic, trade, tripartite and South-South cooperation, especially in the field of agriculture. Vietnam has effectively cooperated in this field with many Francophone countries in Africa, and wishes to continue to prioritize this field to contribute to hunger eradication, poverty reduction and food security in the Francophone space.
The National Assembly Chairman also hopes that OIF will continue to support Vietnam in the field of teaching French, promoting startups in French, and promoting the role of French in sustainable tourism development.
