Vietnam affirms position through UNSC activities

An open debate of the UNSC on the Middle East held on January 21 under the chair of Vietnam (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam and a number of other countries proposed the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to meet on the COVID-19 pandemic and urged the Security Council to issue a document on the issue.

“As a non-permanent member of the UNSC, Vietnam has shown its stance of following the UN Charter and basic principles of international law, supporting the finding of solutions to regional and international conflicts through peaceful negotiations in the spirit of independence, activeness, responsibility and balance,” said director-general of the International Organisations Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Do Hung Viet.

He made the remark at a press conference on international integration and UNESCO organised by the Ministry of Information and Communications on June 30 in Hanoi.

Vietnam has also promoted its experience in the process of national development, international and regional integration, he added.

From January 1, Vietnam officially assumed the position of a non-permanent member of the UNSC for the 2020-21 term, amid uncertainties in the region and the world, especially as the COVID-19 pandemic has been taking a significant toll across the globe.

In such contexts, the country has gradually participated in UNSC activities in a deeper and more proactive manner. This was demonstrated by the fact that Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh attended and delivered a speech at a virtual high-level meeting entitled "75th Anniversary of the End of World War II" at an invitation of Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs Urmas Reinsalu.

Vietnam and a number of other countries proposed the UNSC to meet on the COVID-19 pandemic and urged the council to issue a document on the issue, he added.

As the president of the UNSC in January, Vietnam chaired and coordinated many regular and irregular tasks, including chairing formal meetings and confidential consultations of the UNSC, promoting negotiations and chairing UNSC decisions.

In addition, Vietnam presided over work between the UNSC member countries and the Secretary-General of the UN, maintaining regular cooperation with local and international press on behalf of the Council, approving and circulating important documents of the UNSC in the position of the President.

Do Hung Viet, director general at Department of International Organisation under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, speaks at the meeting (Photo: VNA)

Viet emphasised that Vietnam took the initiative to organise two important events which attracted the attention of the UN and the international community, and marked a milestone of Vietnam at the UNSC.

The first event was an open debate of the UNSC with the theme “Promoting compliance with the UN Charter to maintain international peace and security”, he said.

As the president of the UNSC, Vietnam organised a meeting on cooperation between the United Nations and ASEAN. This was the first time this topic had been discussed at the UNSC.

“Through its activities at the UNSC, Vietnam has enhanced its prestige and position as well as that of ASEAN in the international arena,” Viet stressed.

He also said Vietnam has presented itself as a responsible member which took an active part in planning and implementing decisions on international peace and security.

Vietnam officially won the election to become a non-permanent member of the UNSC for 2020-2021 after getting 192 votes out of the 193 member countries and territories of the UN General Assembly on June 7 evening (Vietnam time).

That Vietnam received such dominant support has met the expectations of all Vietnamese people. It also shows that the country’s active, substantive and responsible contributions to the UN, including the UNSC, over the past many years have been recognised by the international community.

This is the second time the country has been elected a non-permanent member of the UNSC, after the first in 2008-2009.

As one of the six major UN organs, the UNSC has 15 members, including five permanent and the remaining 10 ones with two-year tenures. It is the only UN organ to have the right to assess threats to peace and propose or decide on measures to maintain or restore global peace and security./.