On the evening of June 7, 2019, (Vietnam time), the Chairman of the UN General Assembly announced that Vietnam officially became a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for the term 2020-2021. (Photo: VNA)
Over the past 43 years, Vietnam has gone from a small country, known only for war and poverty, to become one of the countries that actively take the lead in the activities of the UN, having an increasingly important voice at this global forum.
In his warmest congratulations to the Vietnamese Government and people on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the country's National Day (September 2), UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres praised Vietnam for always being a strong partner since its entry to the world’s largest, most familiar, most internationally represented and most powerful intergovernmental organization in 1977.
The Vietnamese army has been joining UN peacekeeping activities and Vietnam's leading role in fulfilling the Millennium Development Goals lays a solid foundation for the country to implement the Sustainable Development Program 2020, Guterres noted. The vision and aspiration of the Sustainable Development Goals will become more important than ever as the world recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic, he stressed.
According to the UN's top leader, Vietnam has been making great contributions to supporting sustainable peace in its capacity as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council (UNSC). In 2020, Vietnam is both the ASEAN Chair and a UNSC non-permanent member, reflecting its strong presence on the international arena, Guterres said.
During more than four decades of membership in the UN, Vietnam has always been proactive and made practical contributions to the organization's activities, participating increasingly effectively in many fields. Vietnam has been elected with a high number of votes in favour to many UN agencies such as the UN Security Council, the Economic and Social Council, the Human Rights Council, and the Executive Council of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, and the International Law Commission.
In 2019, Vietnam was elected for the second time to the UN Security Council for the 2020-2021 term with a record high number of votes in the history of the UN.
As a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, Vietnam has actively participated in crisis prevention and peacekeeping efforts; made important recommendations for the protection of women and children; promoted human rights; built peace in post-conflict zones; and improved the Security Council's working method. Initiatives to ensure peace in conflict areas that Vietnam proposes receive high international appreciation.
Assessing Vietnam's participation in UN organizations, Estonian President Kersti Kaljulaid emphasized that Vietnam had been elected to the position of a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council with a very high number of votes. This means the great prestige and responsibility of Vietnam, and Vietnam has received great support from the international community. “We are always waiting for the contribution of Vietnam in the near future in matters that the world is concerned with,” he said.
If, in 1977, the name Vietnam was only known as a small country that had just overcome war, was besieged and isolated, poor and had no voice, nowadays Vietnam is mentioned as a country leading the realization of the UN development goals, making practical and effective contributions to the common work of the world. According to Ambassador Ngo Quang Xuan, the first representative of Vietnam to the UN, Vietnam's achievements and responsible contributions to world affairs have created the "Vietnamese brand" in multilateral diplomatic activities, including activities at the UN.
"In bilateral cooperation between Vietnam and other countries, there are difficult times. However, it can be said that cooperation between Vietnam and the UN is always going up, with positive, objective and transparent colors. Regarding the realization of the 8 millennium development goals, the UN also considers Vietnam to be one of the best performing countries. At present, in realization of major UN policies, Vietnam is one of the eight most typical countries,” he said.
Vietnam has also made commitments on the successful implementation of the UN 2030 agenda and sustainable development goals. This collaborative process continues to be further promoted through the long-term joint strategic plans between Vietnam and the UN, ensuring that everyone has an equal opportunity to benefit from economic development of the country./.