Vietnam affirms political determination to join UN peacekeeping mission

Vietnam displays good performance in UN peacekeeping operations

Deputy Defence Minister, Sen. Lieut. Gen Nguyen Chi Vinh affirmed Vietnam’s political determination to join the United Nations (UN) Peacekeeping Mission at a reception in Hanoi on June 27 for a delegation from the UN Assessment and Advisory Visit (AAV).

The delegation was led by Bianca Selway, representative from the UN Department for Peacekeeping Operations.

The reception was also attended by UK representative in charge of the UN peacekeeping mission Samantha Hope and UK defence attaché in Vietnam David Houghtonm, who sought to increase coordination among Vietnam, the UN and the UK in transferring the operation of the UK’s second-level field hospital in the South Sudan city of Bentiu, part of the UN Peacekeeping Mission in South Sudan, to Vietnam.

Vinh, who is also head of the Defence Ministry’s Steering Committee on Vietnam’s participation in the UN Peacekeeping operations, thanked the UN for sending officials to Vietnam to make preliminary evaluation of its training, professional capacity and operating standards in military medicine and engineering.

Informing the outcomes of the working session with the Vietnam Peacekeeping Centre and the trip to observing the field demonstration by Vietnam’s military medical and engineering forces on June 26-27, Selway said the AAV delegation commits all possible support to Vietnam to improve its professional and language ability, and working experience in multi-national environment such as the UN Peacekeeping Mission.

Following the visit, the delegation will submit a detailed report to the UN Department for Peacekeeping Operations to prepare for the upgrade of Vietnam’s status to the second level in the UN Peacekeeping Capability Readiness System and help Vietnam arrange a field trip to Bentiu city and the UN Peacekeeping Mission in South Sudan, which is also part of a Vietnam-UN agenda towards negotiating a Memorandum of Understanding on deploying forces to the UN.

The host asked the delegation to give an objective appraisal of Vietnam’s peacekeeping capacity and offer all possible support to Vietnam to improve the capacity of its military medical and engineering forces to join the UN peacekeeping mission.