Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh and the Vietnamese delegation attended the Foreign Ministers’ Meeting of the group of world's leading industrialized and emerging economies (G20) in Bonn, Western Germany, on 16-17 February 2017.

Themed “Shaping the global order - foreign policy beyond crisis management,” the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting focused on implementing the UN 2030 Agenda for sustainable development, maintaining peace in the current context and forging co-operation with and support for Africa. Through open and cooperative discussions, the meeting achieved some outstanding results:

First, the meeting assessed that peace and stability are preconditions for sustainable development, discussed measures to prevent and minimize instability and conflict, called for increased international cooperation, and strengthened roles of international organizations of which the United Nations is at the center in addressing emerging challenges such as poverty, diseases, and social inequality, climate change, food security, water security, and migration crisis.

Second, the meeting affirmed that the best ways to maintain stability, and peace are to ensure sustainable and inclusive development and that no one and no area is left behind. The meeting called on the international community to take specific, and responsible action to implement the 2030 Agenda, emphasizing the need to strengthen global and regional cooperation, mobilize domestic and international resources to achieve sustainable development goals, and calling on developed countries to support developing countries in line with the UN recommendations on the provision of official development assistance (ODA) to developing countries. The meeting emphasized that ODA and development assistance in general are not one-way "generosity" or kindness but are for the interests of developed countries.

Third, the meeting stated that assisting African countries to maintain peace, stability and development would contribute significantly to the strengthening of peace, stability and development in the world and confirmed G20 commitments to support African countries in promoting industrialization, education and training, social security, and environmental protection.

The meeting concluded with a joint statement in support of a multilateral cooperation mechanism to address global challenges. The G20 meeting is seen as an important preparatory step for the next summit in July where the G20 seeks to tackle enormous challenges to push up sustainable growth towards the goal of shaping a connected world.

As the host of APEC 2017, Vietnam was invited to most of the G20 meetings and activities. This was also the first time that the host of "APEC Year" - a non-G20 member is invited to the G20 Summit.

Speaking at the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh affirmed Vietnam’s open, multilateralized, and diversified foreign policy and proactive and active international integration. In face of complicated developments in the world situation at present, the Deputy Prime Minister urged countries to enhance global cooperation to maintain peace, stability and sustainable development and settle disputes and differences by peaceful means, and comply with international law and legal diplomatic process.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh also aksed G20 members to increase their support to developing countries to achieve objectives of sustainable development, particularly in infrastructure and human resource development, technology transfer and climate change response. The Deputy Prime Minister emphasized that protectionism, and egoism are not solutions to socio-economic issues and called for global and regional collaboration in creating a balanced multilateral trade system that operates on the basis of law for development and ensuring that countries and people benefit from trade and economic growth.

With the motto of proactive and active international integration, a reliable and responsible partner, based on the theme and agenda of the meeting, Vietnam actively participated and contributed to G20 activities and meeting this year, integrating APEC priorities to strengthen regional and global coordination in addressing global economic and governance issues in face of challenges and instability in the world. Vietnam’s practical contributions and active participation in working groups and the Foreign Ministers' Meeting and other specialized sectors (economics, trade, finance-banking, and agriculture) were highly appreciated by the host country Germany and members of the G20.

While attending the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh had extensive meetings with foreign partners such as the Foreign Minister of Germany, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, and Foreign Ministers of Brazil and Spain, among others. At the meetings, the Ministers highly valued Vietnam's role and position in the region and Vietnam's active participation in G20 meetings in its capacity as APEC 2017 host country. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh and other Foreign Ministers discussed measures to promote bilateral cooperation as well as coordination on multilateral forums at global and regional levels.