(VOVWORLD) - Vietnam celebrated its 40-year UN membership on September 20. In the last four decades, Vietnam and the UN have fostered their relationship and gained practical results.
 UN Headquarter (Photo: internet)
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A Vietnamese flag-hoisting ceremony was held at the UN headquarters in New York on September 20, 1977 opening an era of cooperation between Vietnam and the UN.
UN assistance to Vietnam
After Vietnam’s admission, the UN provided considerable humanitarian assistance to help Vietnam recover from war, reduce poverty, and address health care and food issues. In the late 1970s, the organization’s aid to Vietnam totaled more than 500 million USD. In the early 1980s, UN aid accounted for 60% of all foreign aid Vietnam received. The UN provides hundreds of millions of USD each year to support Vietnam’s renewal, industrialization, modernization, and international integration. UN aid is an importance resource helping Vietnam to realize its socio-economic development targets and UN Millennium Development Goals. From 1997 to 2003, Nguyen Quy Binh was Head of the Vietnamese Mission to the UN, WTO, and other international organizations in Geneva: “The UN is important to Vietnam. UN programs and organizations like UNDP, UNICEF, and FAO have contributed to Vietnam’s development. The UN has helped Vietnam access humanitarian aid from other countries and mobilize available resources. As a result, Vietnam’s economy is growing rapidly.”
 Vietnamese officers participate in UN peacekeeping mission
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Vietnam, a responsible member of the UN
Vietnam has proactively participated in UN activities. Its role in promoting the struggle for national independence, sovereignty, self-reliance, and weapons disarmament has been internationally acknowledged. Vietnam took the lead in realizing the UN Initiative “Action Consensus”. Vietnam has exerted efforts to implement the Agenda 2030 on Sustainable Development, the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, the UN Initiative on El Nino and La Nina response, and UN peacekeeping activities. For its efforts and contributions, Vietnam was elected to the UN Security Council in the 2008-2009 term, the Socio-Economic Council in the 1998-2000 and 2016-2018 terms, the Human Rights Council in the 2014-2016 term, the UNESCO Executive Council in the 2015-2019 term, and the International Law Committee in the 2017-2021 term. Pratibba Mehta was UN Permanent Coordinator in Vietnam from 2012 to 2016: “Vietnam has been proactively becoming more and more integrated in the UN instruments. So they have served on the Human Rights Council as a member. They are member of ECOSOC. They have sent peacekeeping forces to Sudan and has a peacekeeping center to develop the capacity to send more peacekeepers. I think it’s growing in the next phase of cooperation. It’s much more comprehensive cooperation now.”
Vietnam’s improved role at the UN
On the foundation of a 40-year cooperation, Vietnam and the UN intend to accelerate the One Strategic Plan 2017-2021, which focuses on investing in humans, ensuring climate change response, promoting a sustainable environment, boosting prosperity and partnerships, strengthening justice, peace, and comprehensive governance. The plan supports Vietnam’s implementation of its Strategy on Sustainable Development in the 2011-2020 period, Socio-economic Development Plan 2016-2020, and its UN Sustainable Development Goals. Vietnam plans to focus to fulfill its role in UN mechanisms, take the lead in proposing initiatives, and lobby to become a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council in the 2020-2021 tenure.