UN resident coordinator: Election to UNSC opportunity for Vietnam to prove its capability

UN Resident Coordinator in Vietnam Kamal Malhotra

If elected to the UN Security Council (UNSC), Vietnam will have more opportunities to prove its capability and play a more important role in regional and global issues, said the UN Resident Coordinator in Vietnam Kamal Malhotra.

He made the remark in an interview granted to the Vietnam News Agency ahead of the June 7 voting on five non-permanent seats in the UNSC for the 2020-2021 term, in which Vietnam is the only candidate of the group of Asia-Pacific nations in the UN.

The UN official recalled that Vietnam served as a non-permanent member of the UNSC in the 2008-2009 term, during which the country played an important role in the adoption of the UN resolution on women, peace and security. At present, Vietnam is also participating in UN peacekeeping forces, sending for the first time 63 officers in a level-two field hospital to South Sudan while making strong commitment to get more involved in peacekeeping activities.

He also mentioned Vietnam’s membership in the UN Human Rights Council in 2014-2016 term, and its selection to the UN Commission on International Trade Law (CITRAL) in late 2018, which he said are evidence of the country’s strong commitment to international integration.

Noting that Vietnam could become a non-permanent member of the UNSC at the same time with assuming the rotary chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), heavy responsibilities are ahead for the country when it has to demonstrate its role and capability not only in the international area but also in the region.

According to Malhotra, UN members hope that if elected to the UNSC, Vietnam would play a bigger role in issues on the UNSC’s agenda such as the denuclearization in the Korean peninsula or the situation in Myanmar.

The Korean peninsula is one of the top priorities on the UNSC’s agenda, he said, adding that as Vietnam had successfully hosted the second US-DPRK summit in Hanoi recently, he hoped the country would play a more active role in this issue.

Vietnam should also share its experience in post-war recovery, economic development, realization of Millennium Goals, commitment to realising the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and role in peacekeeping forces, the official said.

As leader of the UN in Vietnam, Malhotra reiterated his commitment to continuing to accompany Vietnam in its new role and responsibility if the country is elected as a non-permanent member of the UNSC for the 2020-2021 tenure.