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| The officers of the 1st engineer team and the level 2 field hospital No. 2 set out to carry out the mission. (Photo: VNA) |
Participating in UN peacekeeping activities has made many contributions to the Party and State's strategy of active international and regional integration; strengthening foreign relations for defense and security, raising the country's position, and performing the task of defending the Fatherland by peaceful measures.
The international community has actively supported Vietnam in UN peacekeeping. In particular, Australia has supported English courses for military medical and engineer forces; training courses in Australia on UN peacekeeping; flights transporting people and equipment of level 2 field hospitals; and aid with some equipment such as ambulances, generators, medical equipment and translation systems.
The United States has also supported Vietnam to organize training courses for staff, logistics officers, and UN military observers; equipment for military medicine, means of training engineers; lecture halls and expert housing.
Japan, the Republic of Korea and the United Kingdom have given support in training, experience sharing, expertise and mission surveying.
In 2018, the Vietnam Department of Peacekeeping Operations and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) co-organized a workshop on capacity building for the UN peacekeeping forces within the framework of the Asian regional security (ARF) in Vietnam, which was highly appreciated by the UN and other countries.
Notably, the Ministry of National Defense has advised the Party, State and Government to sign 9 Memoranda of Understanding on cooperation in the field of UN peacekeeping with partner countries, including China and the United States, Russia, France, India, the Republic of Korea, Japan, Australia and New Zealand; a Memorandum of Understanding with the UN on the deployment of a Level 2 field hospital to the South Sudan Mission; a Memorandum of Understanding with the European Union on the deployment of EU technical assistance trainers at the Vietnam Department of Peacekeeping Operations; and a Memorandum of Understanding with the UN on Deployment of an engineer team to the mission in Abyei.
In 2020, Vietnam was the President of the Association of Asia-Pacific Peace Operation Training Centers (AAPTC). This was the first time Vietnam took on this position since its official participation in UN peacekeeping operations in 2014 and its membership of the Association.
In June 2022, the Ministry of National Defense successfully organized the Conference of Asia-Pacific Peace Operation Training Centers with the participation of 18 countries and 8 international organizations.
Currently, the Vietnam Department of Peacekeeping Operations is taking the role of co-chairing the UN Peacekeeping Expert Group with Japan to organize many cooperation activities, conferences and seminars, and develop a plan for exercises in Vietnam on UN peacekeeping within the framework of the ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting Plus (ADMM+) in 2023, as well as to prepare for the Conference of the UN Network of Peacekeeping Training Centers of ASEAN countries in 2023.
In addition, leaders of the Ministry of National Defense have held phone calls and sent many delegations to the UN Headquarters to interact with UN leaders, functional agencies and work with many partner countries, thereby contributing to the development of the UN part of promoting cooperation in the field of UN peacekeeping and especially creating a basis for the UN to invite Vietnam to send the first engineer team to the Abyei Mission./.