Vietnamese Ambassador delivers speech at int’l Red Cross conference hinh anh 1Vietnamese Ambassador Duong Chi Dung and President of Vietnam Red Cross Nguyen Thi Xuan Thu at the 33rd International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent. (Photo: VNA)

Geneva (VNA) – Vietnamese Ambassador Duong Chi Dung highlighted what Vietnam has done to contribute to international humanitarian aid efforts while delivering a remark at the 33rd International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent in Geneva, Switzerland from December 9 – 12.

Despite facing difficulties during wartime in 1960s and 1970s, Vietnam had strived hard to fulfill the country’s obligations in accordance to the Geneva Convention, said Ambassador Dung, who is head of Vietnam’s permanent mission to the United Nations.

The country ensured sufficient provision of medical aid, food supplies, shelters and clean water for ill and injured people, and returned prisoners, he said.

In peacetime, Vietnam has also worked to provide help for war victims, particularly those affected by unexploded ordanance (UXO) and harmful toxic substances left from the wars, and address the war aftermaths on people and the environment, the diplomat added.

Dung emphasised that the basic principle of international humanitarian law is to respect life and dignity of the human person even in harsh circumstances. A duty of any State or individual is to protect civilians and rescue those in need at sea, regardless of their nationality or cause of the event – either natural disaster or maritime disputes, he said.

This year’s International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent draw the participation of 196 delegations from governments and observation organisations, and representatives from of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), and 192 state member societies to the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.

The conference focused on promoting committed dialogue related to the International Humanitarian Law, and proposing solutions to the challenges of urbanisation and climate change.

Within the framework of the event, the Vietnam Red Cross delegation, led by President Nguyen Thi Xuan Thu, had meetings with the president of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), president and secretary general of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies of several countries./.
VNA