Geneva (VNA) – Ambassador Do Hung Viet, Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the United Nations (UN) in New York, in his capacity as the President-designate of the 11th Review Conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), chaired a series of consultations with regional groups and member states at UN bodies in Geneva from March 9–10.
The ambassador presided over consultations with NPT member states from the Non-Aligned Movement, the Eastern European Group, and the Western European Group and others. He also held bilateral consultations with China, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, and the US.
In addition, he chaired and delivered remarks at an event jointly organised by the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) and the European Union (EU) on preparations for the upcoming NPT Review Conference.
At the meetings, representatives of countries and international organisations welcomed Vietnam’s role as President of the 2026 NPT Review Conference, particularly at a time when the international security environment is becoming increasingly complex.
Many countries called on Vietnam, as the President of the conference, to approach the issues in a balanced, constructive, and pragmatic manner. They also affirmed their readiness to continue close coordination with the President to achieve substantive outcomes at the conference. Member states reiterated the value of the NPT and its review process in maintaining international peace and security and promoting sustainable development.
The consultations focused on issues requiring attention at the conference, particularly those related to nuclear disarmament. Against the backdrop of prolonged conflicts and rising tensions in various regions, many countries stressed the urgent need for the Review Conference to produce concrete results, thereby affirming the strong commitment of member states to the NPT and the global nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation regime.
Countries also underscored the importance of upholding international law, promoting the peaceful settlement of disputes, preventing an arms race, and reducing the risk of nuclear war.
Speaking at the consultations, the Vietnamese diplomat reaffirmed Vietnam’s strong commitment to fulfilling its responsibility as President of the NPT Review Conference, ensuring that the consultation and discussion process would be conducted in a fair, open, inclusive, transparent, and effective manner.
He called on countries and the international community to make every effort to identify common ground and maintain dialogue, even on issues where deep differences remain. Such efforts, he noted, would help achieve meaningful outcomes and strengthen trust and commitment to the NPT under current circumstances.
Many countries also expressed deep concern over the impact of ongoing conflicts and global hotspots on the NPT review process, particularly the situation in the Middle East. Nevertheless, they stressed that the NPT remains the only existing nuclear arms control mechanism that includes all permanent members of the UN Security Council. Therefore, countries underscored the need for all parties to make maximum efforts to ensure the upcoming Review Conference achieves substantive results./.
