On the occasion of the 45th anniversary of Vietnam’s United Nations (UN) membership, Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son wrote an article entitled “45 years of Vietnam-UN relationship: reliable partnership for peace, cooperation and development”.
Since officially becoming the 149th member of the UN on September 20, 1977, Vietnam has always been a trustworthy partner and an active member of the organization, with numerous important contributions to the implementations of its missions, Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son has stated.
In his article entitled “45 years of Vietnam-UN relationship: reliable partnership for peace, cooperation and development”, Son underlined that cooperation with the UN is always an important part of the Party’s and State’s foreign policies, showing the will and aspiration of the Vietnamese people to join hands with the world community for peace, national independence, democracy, cooperation and development.
In January 1946, President Ho Chi Minh, on behalf of the Government of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, sent a letter to the President of the UN General Assembly, expressing his wish for Vietnam to join the UN.
Through so many ups and downs in history, on September 20, 1977, Vietnam officially became the 149th member of the UN, and since then, the country has always been a reliable partner and an active member of the organization and made numerous important contributions to the implementation of the UN’s missions.
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| Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh meets with United Nations General Assembly President Abdulla Shahid on May 16 in New York, USA__Photo: Duong Giang/VNA |
During Vietnam’s doi moi (renewal) cause, the collaboration between Vietnam and the UN has developed vigorously, deeply and effectively, the Minister noted, adding that the UN’s programs and projects have greatly contributed to the reform and international integration efforts of Vietnam, particularly its assistance to the development of socio-economic infrastructure, education and healthcare services, hunger elimination and poverty reduction, and environmental protection, along with the sharing of development experience in many spheres.
Thanks to the promotion of its self-reliance and effective use of external resources, Vietnam has accomplished important development achievements and earned high regards from the UN and the international community, according to the diplomat.
Son noted that Vietnam has managed early completion of five out of the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), effective implementation of the “Delivering as One” initiative, while making efforts to finish the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development and fulfilling its commitments on carbon neutrality by 2050.
During the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Vietnam had received great help in vaccine and medical equipment from the UN through the World Health Organization and the COVAX Facility. Through the tripartite cooperation model with the assistance of the UN, Vietnam has actively shared its knowledge and experience learned from the renewal cause with other developing countries, particularly in the field of economic reform, international integration, agriculture development, healthcare, and education, the Minister stated.
The official said, as remarked by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Vietnam is an important factor contributing to peace and stability in the region and the world. The country has persistently upheld international law and fundamental principles of the UN Charter, working hard to promote the search for long-term and comprehensive solutions to conflicts, he stressed.
He noted that while acting as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council (the 2008-09 and 2020-21 terms), Vietnam had proposed an array of initiatives and solutions to global issues, and one of these is promoting cooperation between the UN and the ASEAN in maintaining peace and security in the region.
To date, Vietnam has sent 512 turns of military officers and four turns of police officers to UN peacekeeping missions in Africa and UN headquarters, not only affirming its strong sense of responsibility to the international security but also promoting the reputation of the Vietnamese soldiers as “envoys of peace and friendship”.
In the field of human rights, Vietnam is upholding dialogue and cooperation, promoting the spirit of humanity and compassion, putting the people at the center of development, sharing achievements and experiences in protecting fundamental human rights, and ensuring justice and social progress. After the 2014-16 term as a member of the UN Human Rights Council, Vietnam is currently running for a seat at the Council for the 2023-25 term to continue contributing to the promotion of human rights in the world.
With the achievements of the doi moi cause and active contributions to the joint efforts of the international community, Vietnam has been elected to many important UN organizations such as the UN Security Council (the 2008-09 and 2020-21 terms), the UN Socio-Economic Council (the 1998-2000 and 2016-18 terms), the UN Human Rights Council (the 2014-16 term), the International Law Commission (the 2017-21 and 2023-27 terms), the Executive Board of the UN Development Program, the UN Population Fund (the 2000-02 term), and the Executive Board of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (the 1978-83, 2001-05, 2009-13, 2015-19, and 2021-25 terms).
With a high sense of responsibility and substantive contributions to the common work of the UN, the country has clearly demonstrated the position, identity and mettle of Vietnam’s diplomacy in the Ho Chi Minh era, robustly conveying the message of an independent, self-reliant, innovative, peace-loving, international law-respecting, reliable, sincere and responsible member of the international community, Son underlined.
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| Military medics of Vietnam’s Level-2 Field Hospital No. 1 are sent to South Sudan in 2018 to join the United Nations peacekeeping forces__Photo: VNA |
Partnership for peace, sustainable development and brighter future of the humanity
The Vietnam-UN cooperative ties over the past 45 years have greatly contributed to consolidating an environment of peace and stability, promoting comprehensive, intensive and extensive international integration while attracting external resources for national development and raising the position and reputation of Vietnam in the international arena.
Minister Son stressed the 13th National Party Congress continued to affirm the important role of the UN in the foreign relations orientations and policies of the Vietnamese Party and State, pointing to the need to continue enhancing multilateral external relations, helping the country proactively participate in and promote its role in multilateral mechanisms, especially the ASEAN, the UN and cooperation frameworks and mechanisms of strategic importance, suitable to the requirements, capacity and conditions of the country.
Vietnam has continued to attach great importance to and strengthen cooperation with the UN, staying persistent to independence and self-reliance, guaranteeing the highest interests of the country and the nation on the basis of the UN Charter and basic principles of international law, equality, cooperation and mutual benefit, striving to promote the core, leading and mediation role in international issues when conditions permit. At the same time, the country will further promote multilateral cooperation and collaboration between the UN and regional organizations, including the ASEAN, to jointly find long-term solutions to security and development challenges in the world, according to the Minister.
He said in addition to improving institutions for and intensifying coordination among agencies and organizations in the political system, it is very important to pay attention to training activities for raising the quality of diplomatic officials in the modern times, and adopt appropriate policies to increase their presence at UN organizations.
The Minister remarked that maintenance of peace and expansion of cooperation for development are the general aspirations of countries and nations, even against the backdrop of a fast- and ever-changing world.
