(VOVWORLD) - Vietnam has taken on the role of non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for the 2020-2021 term and assumed the rotating Presidency of the UN Security Council in January. It chaired an open debate of the UN Security Council last Thursday focusing on adhering to the UN Charter to maintain international peace and security. Vietnam gives high regard to complying with the UN Charter in preventive diplomacy and protecting human beings in disputes and natural disasters.
 Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh chaired the UNSC open debate. (photo Pham Huan) |
The discussion, held at UN headquarters in New York on the occasion of the UN’s 75th anniversary, was the first big event of Vietnam’s UNSC presidency in January, which is also the first month of its Council membership.
New duty in challenging situation
The discussion, initiated by Vietnam, took place with the world experiencing disputes about compliance with the UN Charter. The discussion drew the attention of all UN members. Representatives of more than 110 countries registered to deliver speeches to the Council, the most speeches ever at a UN open debate.
The UN is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year. By initiating a debate on the topic of "maintenance of international peace and security by upholding the UN Charter", Vietnam wanted to affirm the UN’s central role in maintaining global peace and security.
For the first time an open debate on the UN Charter resulted in the Council President issuing a formal statement, a significant success for Vietnam in the first month of its UNSC membership.
High regard for UN Charter
Vietnam gives high regard to compliance with the UN Charter and wants to encourage other countries to do so. Other priorities are preventive diplomacy, and protecting civilians, particularly women and children. Vietnam wants to share its experience in resolving war consequences, such as landmine clearance.
Vietnam is taking on its new UN roles with the while world worried about prolonged conflicts in Africa, escalating tensions in the Middle East, and developing threats in the Asia-Pacific region. Unilateral actions, violence, waning respect for international law, use and threats of armed force, violation of other countries’ sovereignty and territorial integrity, and intervention in other countries’ internal affairs are threatening global peace and security. Although peace and cooperation are still the norm, strategic competition between powers has led to complicated political and security issues.
Vietnam insists on its external policy of independence, self-reliance, multilateralization, diversification, and using dialogue to ease tensions and confrontation to reach fair and appropriate solutions to threats to global peace and security that respect international law and the UN Charter. Vietnam promotes the spirit of partnership for sustainable peace, prevention of disputes, and post-dispute reconstruction through multilateral mechanisms like the UN.