Vietnam Contributes to Maintaining International Security and Peaceful, Stable Environment

11:23:33 AM | 9/3/2019

With an almost unanimous vote of 192/193, Vietnam has been elected a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council for the term 2020-2021.

It is a record-breaking percentage in the UN's 75-year history. That record also shows the recognition by the UN of Vietnam's contributions since Vietnam became an official member of the UN in 1977.

Ongoing efforts for positive participation and effective contributions

Regarding the event, Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh emphasized that by joining the UN Security Council, Vietnam will join a global organization to ensure peace and security, and resolve conflict issues, being willing to lead and mediate important international and regional issues.

Vietnam's contributions are well recognized and highly appreciated by the international community. Within 10 years, Vietnam has twice been elected as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council. As a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for the first time, in the 2008-2009 term, Vietnam contributed to the joint effort to handle conflicts in some areas, strengthening UN peacekeeping activities, proposing specific initiative to strengthen women's role in peace and security.

According to Mr. Dang Dinh Quy, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Permanent Representative of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam in the United Nations, with peaceful independent, self-reliant, multilateral policies in international relations, willing to contribute responsibly and actively to promoting peace, security, development and progress in the world, Vietnam has actively participated in many important multilateral organizations and forums, such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the Francophone Community, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum (APEC), the World Trade Organization ( WTO), ASEM; successfully hosted many important international events, namely the 2017 APEC Year and WEF-ASEAN Cooperation Conference 2018, thereby confirming the ability to actively participate in leading and shaping international and regional mechanisms; including the efforts to organize the U.S.-North Korea Summit in Hanoi in February, 2019.

Responsible and active member

Right in the first year of the term as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, Vietnam will also assume the position of ASEAN President in 2020. This is a great responsibility, also a favorable opportunity to help Vietnam promote the strengthening of cooperation between the UN and regional and sub-regional organizations, including ASEAN, thereby contributing effectively to promoting the role of multilateralism towards regional and international peace and security.

As a non-permanent member of the Security Council, Vietnam is responsible for participating in resolving issues of global and regional scale. However, it is also a good opportunity for Vietnam to speak up, express and contribute to the handling of issues related to peace and security, including hot spots such as disputes in the East Sea and the Law on international waters. These are all very complex issues, intertwined in which the interests of nations.

Over 40 years of participation, Vietnam has held seats with key votes in many UN agencies, including non-permanent member of the UN Security Council term 2008 - 2009, the UN Economic and Social Council (1998-2000 and 2016 - 2018), the UN Human Rights Council (2014 - 2016), the UNESCO Executive Council (2015 - 2019), the International Law Commission (2017 - 2021).

As a non-permanent member of the Security Council, Vietnam participates in important, special, and complex work. Vietnam will have to prepare specific positions and perspectives on issues at the Security Council based on an assessment of the general context, assessing the interests of the countries concerned, the interest of the international community and our own views.

Ambassador Dang Dinh Quy said that when joining the Security Council, the purpose of Vietnam is to build a stable peaceful environment in the world and the region. And it is the construction of a stable world environment in the world and the region that will ensure that we have a peaceful environment for development.

With the prestige and experience and the desire to contribute to the common efforts of the world for peace and development, Vietnam believes once again to fulfill the task entrusted by the UN and seize this opportunity to implement a qualitative transition in integration, from active participation to proactively building common play rules.

Nguyen Thanh