Vietnam has been an active and responsible member of the UN
23/9/17
Vietnam’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for
Foreign Affairs has led the Vietnamese delegation to attend the 72nd Session of
the United Nations General Assembly from September 22-25. The annual gathering
of world leaders formally opened on 19 September 2017, with the theme “Focusing
on People: Striving for Peace and a Decent Life for All on a Sustainable Planet”.
Speaking at the Session, Mr. Pham Binh Minh said that, since Viet Nam was
admitted to the United Nations 40 years ago, it had become a dynamic
economy on the path of reform and sustainable development, transforming from an
aid-dependent country to a lower-middle income one. Its Millennium
Development Goal efforts had lifted tens of millions out of poverty. With
the adoption of the 2030 Agenda, the world community had chosen
sustainable development as the path towards a better destiny for today and for
future generations, he said. That ambitious plan should now become a reality. Developing
countries should be given more favourable conditions and resources to realize
the Sustainable Development Goals, he said, and developed nations should fulfil
their commitments to provide financial assistance and technology to developing
countries.
2017 marked Vietnam’s 40-year membership in the UN.
Starting as a war-devastated country, Vietnam’s role at the UN and its
achievements in realizing the UN Millennium Development Goals have been
internationally acknowledged.
Vietnam becoming an official member of the UN on
September 20, 1977 marked the recognition of the world’s largest global
organisation, and the international community, towards a peaceful, unified,
independent, free and democratic Vietnam. This was a significant event for our
country.
Over the past four decades, Vietnam and the UN have
always strived to nurture and build an increasingly better cooperative
relationship, boasting positive results and huge potential for development.
The State and people of Vietnam always respect the
support and co-operation of the UN in the cause of national construction and
development, especially the organisation’s precious and practical support in
terms of finance, technology and experience for the country during the tough
years following the war, as well as the period in which the country was under
siege and sanctions.
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, in addition to
receiving aid from socialist countries, the UN assistance accounted for 60% of
the total aid offered to Vietnam.
During the country’s reform process as well as its
acceleration of industrialisation, modernisation and international integration,
the UN continues to actively support Vietnam, providing hundreds of millions of
US dollars annually.
This is one of the most important resources for
Vietnam to successfully realise the socio-economic development goals and
contribute to making Vietnam one of the countries that fulfills the UN’s
Millennium Development Goals.
As an active, responsible member of the
international community, Vietnam has always considered cooperation with the UN
as one of the top priorities in its foreign policy.
Since its earliest days of joining the UN, Vietnam
has been proactively and actively participating in many operational areas of
the organisation. International friends have acknowledged and highly
appreciated Vietnam’s leading role in promoting the struggle for national
independence, sovereignty and self-determination, fighting the arms race and
supporting the comprehensive and radical disarmament, in addition to our active
contribution to the process of formulating and implementing UN treaties and
conventions and building a fair, transparent and effective global multilateral
institution, meeting the common aspirations of mankind.
Highlighting the fundamental principles of
international laws and the UN Charter in tackling international conflicts and
disputes through peaceful means, Vietnam always attaches great importance to
the UN’s central role in maintaining international peace and security.
Vietnam also takes the lead in implementing the UN’s
“Delivering as One (DaO)” initiative, whilst proposing many initiatives in
regards to Vietnam’s priority areas which are also in the common interest of
the community.
In addition, Vietnam has been striving to successfully
implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Paris Agreement on
climate change, the UN initiative on El Nino and La Nina response and the UN
peacekeeping operations.
With great efforts and contributions made to the
activities and development of the UN, Vietnam has been trusted and highly
appreciated by the international community, which is most clearly manifested
through the country being elected to many bodies of the UN, receiving a high
number of votes, especially the UN Security Council (2008-2009 term), the UN
Economic and Social Council (1998-2000 and 2016-2018 tenures), the UN Human
Rights Council (2014-2016 term), the UNESCO Executive Council (2015-2019
tenure) and the International Law Commission (2017-2021 term).
Vietnam will continue to be an active and
responsible member of the international community and the United Nations (UN)
and engage more in the UN’s peacekeeping operations and prove its role as a
member of UN organisations such as the UN Economic and Social Council and the
International Law Commission, said President Tran Dai Quang.
On the basis of the fine bilateral relationship over
the past 40 years, we are very optimistic about the future of Vietnam-UN
relations.
Thoroughly comprehending and implementing the
Resolution of the 12th National Party Congress, “Actively participate and
promote the role at multilateral mechanisms, especially ASEAN and the UN”,
Vietnam will strengthen ties with the UN in an extensive, effective and
substantive fashion, thus contributing actively to maintaining peace, stability
and sustainable development in the region and around the world.
As a responsible and active member in the UN’s
activities, Vietnam will stand side by side with the member countries in
upholding the fundamental principles of the UN Charter and international laws,
promoting fair and equal international relationships, friendship and
cooperation between nations and ensuring the legitimate interests of all
countries, especially developing nations.
Vietnam will also enhance its participation in the
UN peacekeeping operations at a higher level; exert efforts to successfully
implement the 2030 Agenda, Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris
Agreement on climate change; and support the reform efforts of the UN, towards
improving efficiency, transparency and democratisation in all activities.
Vietnam will focus on fulfilling its membership role
in the UN’s mechanisms and taking the lead in the priority areas by deploying
many specific initiatives.
Specifically, the country will actively lobby for
its bid for a non-permanent seat of the UN Security Council for the 2020-2021
term.
If elected to this position, Vietnam will surely
make active and substantial contributions to the UN’s efforts in preserving
international peace and security, thereby enhancing the country’s status and
prestige and contributing to the cause of peace, national independence,
democracy and social progress in the world.
Vietnam and the UN will focus on implementing the
Joint Strategic Plan for the period of 2017-2021 signed between the two sides
in July.
With four priority areas, including investing in
people, ensuring adaptation to climate change and sustainable environmental
development, promoting prosperity and partnership, and facilitating justice,
peace and comprehensive governance, this Plan will support Vietnam in
implementing the 2011-2020 Strategy for Sustainable Development, the
Socio-economic Development Plan for the 2016-2020 period and the UN’s
Sustainable Development Goals.
This is an important premise for the deployment of
specific cooperation activities between Vietnam and the UN in the coming years./.
All comments [ 2 ]
After 30 years of reform, Vietnam has attained numerous socio-economic development achievements and become a middle-income country.
Vietnam will create optimal conditions for UN agencies to operate and bring Vietnam-UN relations to a new level.
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