Vietnam UN missions

Vietnam is ready to take part in more UN peacekeeping missions, operations in the future, Deputy Minister of National Defense Sen. Lt. Gen. Hoang Xuan Chien said to UN Resident Coordinator in Vietnam Pauline Tamesis in Hanoi.

Chien praised the cooperation and assistance provided by the UN and its agencies, especially the UN Resident Coordinator Office, when Vietnam served as the ASEAN Chair in 2020 and a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council during 2020 – 2021.

Vietnam ready to enhance of UN missions

He thanked the UN and relevant agencies for working closely with Vietnam to successfully carry out many war aftermath settlement activities, particularly programs and projects on addressing unexploded ordnance and toxic chemicals, which brought positive outcomes.

The official said he hoped the UN would continue coordinating with the Defence Ministry in war aftermath settlement through financial and technical aid, capacity building, experience sharing, and database building.

Since Vietnam officially joined UN peacekeeping forces in 2014, it has successfully deployed over 500 personnel on peacekeeping missions and to the UN headquarters. It is also the first country in Southeast Asia to implement three training courses on heavy engineering equipment, under the Việt Nam-UN-Japan trilateral partnership program, which received strong evaluations from UN leaders.

The country has maintained a rate of female participation in peacekeeping operations that is higher than the average and pledges to maintain and increase this rate to over 20 per cent by 2025, according to Chien.

Vietnam would further engage in UN peacekeeping operations, including sending personnel on more missions and diversifying participation forms, he noted, adding that police would also be deployed on operations.

The official asked the UN to continue supporting Vietnam’s commitments and political resolve to join peacekeeping operations, and create favorable conditions to further enhance cooperation in this regard.

Tamesis applauded Vietnam’s efforts, especially its military and police forces, in containing the COVID-19 pandemic.

The UN would assist the Vietnamese Government and people in securing the best possible post-pandemic socio-economic recovery and meet healthcare-related demand, she said.

The official said she recently had the honor of signing the Strategic Framework for Sustainable Development Cooperation with the Vietnamese Government, describing it as a very important document that outlines the UN’s strategy and assistance priorities for the country in the next five years. The document also underlines the UN’s role in helping Vietnam recover after the pandemic and ensuring that no one is left behind.

The Resident Coordinator spoke highly of Vietnam’s achievements in joining UN peacekeeping operations, including the high rate of female participation, noting the UN pledges to continue assistance in this field.

The UN also highly valued Vietnam sending police officers on peacekeeping operations, including three to the mission in South Sudan and one to the Police Division in New York, Tamesis added.