• Dr Nguyen Thi Huong, Director General of the General Statistics Office;
• Representatives from National Assembly, the Government’s ministries and agencies;
• Representatives from the provincial and municipal authorities;
• Representatives from embassies, international and local NGOs, UN colleagues;
• International data and statistics experts from Singapore, Japan, Denmark, Republic of Korea; Thailand and the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific;
• and the media

It is a great honour to represent UNFPA Viet Nam and to co-chair with Dr Nguyen Thi Huong this important international conference. The main purpose of this Conference is to share experience in data ecosystem management, data governance and data stewardship. This conference will serve as a foundation for the General Statistics Office to seek consultations, study the feasibility, and implement effective data management, governance, and stewardship practices. On behalf of UNFPA, I would like to thank through Dr Huong, Director General of GSO, the General Statistics Office for its leadership, commitment and dedication for Vietnam’s data for development.

Distinguished Participants,

Viet Nam is in the midst of rapid transformation for its socio-economic growth. The country has been implementing the Socio-economic Development Strategy (SEDS) 2021-2030, the Socio-economic Development Plan (SEDP) 2021-2025, and the National Plan of Action to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. 

To achieve its set targets, Vietnam needs reliable and quality data statistics, which are the prerequisite for solid policy and decision making as well as fundamental foundation to formulate, implement, monitor and assess the country’s progress to achieving socio-economic and SDGs targets.

Over the past recent years, the General Statistics Office and other ministries have made great efforts in providing key national data and statistics. 

However, there is a shortage of disaggregated data, especially by ethnicity and age group, to support evidence-based decision-making that addresses inequalities. 

Furthermore, utilization of administrative records and data, such as civil registration, vital statistics and big data, is limited. 

At the same time, there is often a lack of in-depth analyses of population issues through the triangulation of various data sources including the census, population-based surveys, administrative data, unofficial data and big data that can often provide insights into influencing factors and the determinants of population dynamics. 

Finally, data sharing among government (line ministries) and non-government stakeholders is limited, due to the lack of a specific legal framework that would regulate the sharing and exchange of data.

In this context, UNFPA is honoured to collaborate with the General Statistics Office for the organization of this important international conference under the frame work of the five-year project “Supporting Viet Nam in the production and utilization of quality population data and evidence for the evaluation, formulation and implementation of the country's socio-economic development policies, strategies, plans and monitoring of Sustainable Development Goals”. 

The Project aims to support Viet Nam in applying new technologies and communication platforms to data collection, analysis, and dissemination, and ensuring evidence-based policies, strategies, and programmes for the achievement of SDGs by 2030.

Distinguished participants,

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development stresses the importance of having high-quality population data. Our commitment to leaving no one behind means everyone must be counted for, so everyone can be reached, including those furthest behind.

Quality, reliable, consistent and comparable data is a crucial element in making this a reality.

UNFPA is now in the new tenth country programme and GSO is one of the most important partners for UNFPA Viet Nam. As we always say, countries with quality data are those which achieve impressive socio-economic growth. Better Data, Better Lives.

I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to all international experts. I strongly believe that your contributions to this conference are highly appreciated. Your unique experience will help Vietnam further enhance the value of data and foster a deeper understanding of the data ecosystem among policymakers, data producers, and other stakeholders in Vietnam.

Thank you for your participation and I wish you all a very fruitful conference.

Xin Cam on!