2023 a fruitful year of Việt Nam in UN peacekeeping engagement

An exercise for peacekeepers on providing first aid for an injured engineer military officer. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — The year of 2023 has continued to witness Việt Nam’s practical and effective contributions to United Nations peacekeeping operations, helping to affirm the country’s image as a dynamic, active and responsible member of the international community.

Following the Party and State’s orientations, Việt Nam has sent personnel to UN peacekeeping missions, realising the country’s foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, peace, cooperation and development.

So far, Việt Nam has sent nearly 800 military and public security officers to the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA), and the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA), as well as the UN headquarters in the forms of individuals and units.

Currently, Việt Nam ranks 45th out of 120 countries sending military and police officers to the missions, with the number of personnel regularly deployed to field missions reaching 274, including 36 women officers.

The UN Secretary General, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations and the UN Military Advisor have repeatedly praised Vietnamese peacekeeping forces and sent letters of thanks to the Government of Việt Nam for the contributions of the forces. Many UN leaders also highlighted Vietnam’s contributions to promoting gender equality by sending a large number of women officers to UN peacekeeping missions, meeting and exceeding the criteria set by the UN.

UN Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix hailed the active and effective engagement of Việt Nam in UN peacekeeping activities as well as the country’s commitments to realising UN targets and criteria. The official said he was deeply impressed by the Vietnamese engineering unit’s performance in the UNISFA despite difficulties.

Meanwhile, UN Under-Secretary-General for Operational Support Atul Khare expressed his admiration for Việt Nam’s efforts and contributions, especially through the deployment of level-2 field hospitals to UN peacekeeping missions since 2018. This showed Việt Nam’s strong commitments and efforts, and was a wonderful thing in the partnership between Việt Nam and the UN, he commented.

In March this year, during a conversation with Ambassador Đặng Hoàng Giang, Permanent Representative of Việt Nam to the UN, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for South Sudan and Head of the UNMISS Nicholas Haysom appreciated the active and effective contributions, creativeness and efforts to overcome difficulties of medical officers and soldiers of the level-2 field hospital and peacekeepers of Việt Nam at the UNMISS.

In December, UN Police Adviser Faisal Shahkar highly valued Việt Nam’s active involvement and good results in peacekeeping operations, including police activities, and voiced his hope for closer cooperation with Việt Nam in this regard.

At an event to honour the contributions and sacrifices of “blue beret” forces as part of activities marking the 75th anniversary of the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers (May 29, 1948-2023), UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres emphasised that in the context of escalating tensions and conflicts in many regions of the world, UN peacekeeping forces are considered a fulcrum of safety and hope for people in many countries, and are a symbol of multilateralism.

At the event, Ambassador Đặng Hoàng Giang, on behalf of the Vietnamese State, received a Dag Hammarskjöld Medal – the medal for the cause of international peace to servicemen who died while on duty under the UN flag in 2022 – presented by the UN Secretary General to Lieutenant Colonel Đỗ Anh.

The contributions and successes of Việt Nam in the past journey are clear evidence that the deployment of forces to international peacekeeping operations is a sound policy of the Party and State, helping to affirm that Việt Nam is a responsible member of the international community, enhancing Vietnam’s position, prestige and role in solving international problems, while creating favourable conditions to promote international cooperation in both bilateral and multilateral aspects.

With their bravery and spirit of self-reliance as well as flexible and creative approach, Vietnamese officers joining peacekeeping activities have shown strong performance in implementing their tasks, overcoming difficulties, maintaining close relations with local communities, and acting as ambassadors of peace and friendship. Joining UN peacekeeping missions has also helped Việt Nam actively prepare forces and become ready to deal with non-traditional challenges in any circumstances. — VNS