In the afternoon of August 25 and 26, 2021, the National Economics University in collaboration with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) Vietnam and the Embassy of Sweden held an online seminar: "Promoting the training of responsible business in universities of economics in Vietnam”.
On the seminar, on behalf of UNDP Vietnam, there was Mr. Patrick Haverman - UNDP Resident Representative in Vietnam; Ms. Diana Torres - Head of Governance and Engagement Department. On the side of the Swedish Embassy, there was Ms. Ann Mawe - Ambassador of Sweden to Vietnam. On the side of National Economics University, there were Prof. Dr. Tran Thi Van Hoa – NEU Vice President. Assoc. Dr. Bui Huy Nhuong – NEU Vice Principal; Prof. Dr. Nguyen Van Thang – Director of the Institute for Sustainable Development; along with leaders of faculties, institutes, and lecturers of the school.
The seminar is a part of a cooperation project between the National Economics University and UNDP Vietnam, funded by the Government of Sweden, aiming three objectives: (1) Raising awareness about the approach of 'Responsible Business' for lecturers in economics administration and businesses; (2) Enhancing teaching “Responsible Business” through sharing experiences, practices, and knowledge from experts, businesses, and regulators; and (3) Sharing experiences from leaders and entrepreneurs on responsible business practices in Vietnam.
The seminar was divided into two sessions. The first session focused on practical goals of raising awareness and conceptual approaches, as well as sharing experiences of entrepreneurs and leaders. The second session was aimed at sharing the experience of teaching and training.
Speaking at the seminar, Prof. Dr. Tran Thi Van Hoa describes Responsible Business as “an important business style” and an “effective way to achieve sustainable development goals”, but it is still a new issue in Vietnam. The Vice-Chancellor also emphasized researching and training responsible entrepreneurs and managers as a "central task of National Economics University" in order to "provide high-quality human resources, meet sustainable development needs of enterprises as well as of the whole economy”.
At the end of the discussion, the cooperation program between the National Economics University and UNDP Vietnam, sponsored by the Swedish Government, made a decision to enter the next stage of the collaboration which is preparing documents and programs to turn the discussed content into teaching practice.