Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Phan Thi Thang meets with UNIDO Director
On April 21, 2026, at the headquarters of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, Deputy Minister Phan Thi Thang held a meeting with Gerd Müller, Director of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO). The meeting set out orientations for expanded cooperation in the 2025 - 2030 period, with a focus on green transition and enhancing global competitiveness.
Addressing the meeting, the Deputy Minister welcomed Gerd Müller and the UNIDO delegation to the Ministry, emphasizing that the visit holds significant importance in further deepening cooperation between Vietnam and UNIDO, particularly as 2025 - 2026 marks the 40th anniversary of Vietnam’s accession to UNIDO.
She also expressed satisfaction with the signing of the Country Programme Framework for the 2025 - 2028 period, describing it as a key foundation for advancing bilateral cooperation in a more substantive and effective manner, thereby supporting Vietnam’s industrial sector in achieving its development objectives in the new phase.
Assessing current cooperation outcomes, the Deputy Minister acknowledged the positive results of the Industrial Energy Efficiency Project (IEEP), under which more than 37,000 participants have gained access to knowledge on energy management. Notably, the support provided to two enterprises in achieving ISO 50001 certification in less than one year was highlighted as a concrete and encouraging result. She also commended UNIDO’s support in developing Vietnam’s first Industrial White Paper in 2019, as well as its training programs on Industry 4.0 policy, which have contributed to strengthening the capacity of policymaking officials within the Ministry.
Regarding future cooperation directions, the Deputy Minister welcomed the three major priorities outlined in the Country Programme Framework for 2025 - 2028, namely: green industrial transformation and circular economy; enhanced competitiveness and self-reliance; and policy development and standard-setting functions.
On this basis, the Ministry of Industry and Trade proposed that UNIDO continue to provide deeper support in several key areas, including the development of low-emission technologies, green hydrogen, carbon capture and storage, and eco-industrial parks integrated with renewable energy; support for small and medium-sized enterprises to integrate more deeply into global value chains in emerging industries; and strengthened assistance to the Ministry in policy formulation, industrial data systems development, and the application of advanced analytical and assessment tools for state management.
The Deputy Minister also called on UNIDO to continue supporting Vietnam in implementing initiatives related to the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP), particularly solutions for decarbonizing hard-to-abate industrial sectors, while assisting Vietnamese enterprises in enhancing their capacity to comply with global sustainability standards such as CBAM and ESG, especially through training, the transfer of carbon accounting tools, and capabilities in measurement, reporting, and verification.
At the meeting, the Ministry of Industry and Trade also urged the UNIDO Director General to pay attention to and support the mobilization of funding for five proposed projects, including those focused on decarbonizing the steel, chemical, and waste sectors; clean energy deployment in industrial parks; climate-resilient value chain innovation for small and medium-sized enterprises; and the development of policy frameworks for smart manufacturing and new industries.
On the UNIDO side, Gerd Müller reaffirmed that Vietnam is a highly important partner of the organization. He noted that since Vietnam became a UNIDO member in 1985, the two sides have jointly implemented 170 cooperative projects. The Director General praised Vietnam’s development achievements, describing the country as one of the most dynamic economies in the region and a potential model for other countries in Asia and Africa. UNIDO expressed its readiness to further expand cooperation and support Vietnam in priority areas such as green industrial transformation, circular economy, energy efficiency, renewable energy development, and industrial decarbonization.
Concluding the meeting, both sides agreed to maintain regular technical-level exchanges to effectively advance cooperation initiatives, thereby gradually realizing the objectives set out in the Ministry’s agenda. Deputy Minister Phan Thi Thang affirmed that the Ministry of Industry and Trade will continue to serve as a reliable partner, accompanying UNIDO in its cooperative activities in Vietnam.
