Deputy PM meets WTO Deputy Director-General, Co-Chair of WEF Board of Trustees in Geneva
VGP - The World Trade Organization (WTO) will continue to accompany, share its experience and support Viet Nam throughout its international economic integration process, stated WTO Deputy Director-General Jennifer DJ Nordquist.
Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Van Thang works with Co-Chair of the Board of Trustees of the World Economic Forum (WEF) André Hoffmann, Geneva, Switzerland, July 27, 2026 - Photo: VNA
Nordquist made that above statement during her meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Van Thang in Geneva, Switzerland, on July 27.
She commended Viet Nam's socio-economic development achievements in recent years and acknowledged the country's strong reform efforts to improve its institutional framework and investment and business environment, and deepen integration into the global economy.
The two sides should work to ensure the successful organization of the third periodic Trade Policy Review (TPR) at the WTO scheduled for next November, while implementing technical assistance programs, including activities related to the ITA Expansion Agreement (ITA2), recommended the WTO official.
She urged Viet Nam to consider studying the possibility of joining the Investment Facilitation for Development (IFD) Agreement.
Nguyen, for his part, called on the WTO to speed up its reform by updating its rules to keep pace with emerging trends in international trade, while fully reflecting the differences in development levels and implementation capacities among developing countries.
He emphasized the need to promptly restore a fully functioning dispute settlement mechanism to ensure the predictability, transparency, and enforceability of the multilateral trading system.
He also called for expanding the WTO's agenda to address emerging areas such as digital trade, artificial intelligence, green transition, climate change, and supply chain resilience, while strengthening support for developing countries to enhance their capacity to effectively seize the opportunities arising from these new trends.
The Deputy Prime Minister expressed his hope that the WTO would continue supporting Viet Nam in strengthening its capacity, particularly via advanced training on trade policy, legal advisory services for international dispute settlement, and trade facilitation.
Such support would help Viet Nam make more effective use of its international agreements and commitments, promote exports, attract high-quality investment, and enhance its global competitiveness, he noted.
During the meeting with Co-Chair of the Board of Trustees of the World Economic Forum (WEF) André Hoffmann, Nguyen urged the WEF to continue leveraging its role in promoting public-private partnerships and fostering connections between the Vietnamese Government and the world's leading businesses and investors.
The two sides should prioritize the development of the Viet Nam–WEF cooperation program for the 2026–2030 period, focusing on key areas such as science and technology, innovation, and the development of a modern financial ecosystem, suggested the official.
The Deputy Prime Minister proposed the WEF consider making the Autumn Economic Forum in Viet Nam into an annual event within the WEF's global conference calendar.
He further called on the WEF to strengthen connections between Viet Nam and its network of leading businesses, investors, and international financial institutions, while mobilizing the participation of the global business community in activities during APEC 2027.
Hoffmann, for his part, pledged that the WEF would support Viet Nam in sharing international experience on the development of international financial centers, regulatory sandboxes, public-private partnerships, innovation ecosystems, the application of artificial intelligence, and the development of a highly skilled workforce./.