Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Phạm Quang Hiệu. Photo baoquocte.vn

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Phạm Quang Hiệu spoke to Thế Giới&Việt Nam (World and Vietnam Report) about the Vietnamese expert’s election to the Legal and Technical Commission (LTC), a specialised agency of the International Seabed Authority (ISA) for the 2023-27 term.

Associate Professor Đào Việt Hà, director of the Institute of Oceanography under the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, has been elected as a member of LTC. How meaningful is the election?

Established on the basis of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), LTC is an assisting body of ISA.

LTC is in charge of managing the exploration and exploitation of non-living marine resources in the seabed and subsoil beyond the national jurisdiction where the resources are considered “common heritage of mankind” and shared fairly among nations.

If there is no regulation, only large companies and developed countries with capacity can benefit from these resources such as rare minerals and raw materials that we have not fully known their values.

LTC plays an important role in ISA’s tasks. Its recommendations will directly affect the interests of countries.

The fact that Việt Nam has a candidate elected to LTC for the first time holds many meanings. This success has affirmed the proper guidelines and policies of the Party and State on cohesively, creatively and effectively conducting foreign relations; actively engaging in comprehensive and extensive international integration; enhancing multilateral diplomacy and building multilateral institutions.

This is also evidence of the support and trust of the international community for Việt Nam's persistent efforts as well as active and responsible contributions to the UN and multilateral institutions.

The election to LTC follows the recent success of Vietnamese candidates for positions such as Vice President of the UN General Assembly, members of the Council of Centres under the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, and a member of the International Law Commission.

All of the above achievements have elevated Việt Nam’s position and prestige in the international arena.

The election also affirms Việt Nam's international integration and demonstrates the maturity of our country's multilateral foreign policy.

Việt Nam has actively engaged in, actively contributed to, and enhanced its role in issues and mechanisms which are important and strategic to the country's interests.

What factors made the Vietnamese candidate successful in this election?

That is the result of an active campaign carried out by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Vietnamese representative agencies overseas in collaboration with relevant ministries and agencies in recent years.

Before the ISA Council decided on the official list of LTC members for the 2023-27 term, there were fierce debates among the council's member countries about the election mechanism which is a decisive document in the selection process.

The Vietnamese candidate had to compete with other strong Asia-Pacific competitors, most of whom come from countries with developed science and technology.

Việt Nam has implemented active campaigning and candidate introduction activities through various channels to gain the support of the international community. It can be affirmed that the proper orientation, leadership and activeness are important factors that bring about positive results for us today.

An indispensable factor in the success of this election is the capacity and qualifications of the Vietnamese candidate.

I know that before the election, representatives of all countries were impressed with and highly appreciated the professional knowledge of Associate Professor Hà.

Vietnamese experts’ recent elections to prestigious and important international organisations affirm our qualifications and capabilities in many fields.

That is the basis and motivation for us to be more confident in building and developing a contingent of Vietnamese cadres, civil servants and scientists who are eligible for the international environment’s working standards.

Associate Professor Đào Việt Hà. Photo baoquocte.vn

What can we expect from Associate Professor Hà’s contributions in this new position?

Associate Professor Hà is an experienced expert working in the field of marine environmental science for more than 30 years.

The Vietnamese female scientist has gained international prestige with a lot of research publications and is currently director of Nha Trang Institute of Oceanography.

Hà has delivered speeches at many international and regional conferences, such as the UN High-Level Conference on Supporting Implementation of Sustainable Development Goal No 14 in 2022. She has implemented a lot of global projects in sustainable development and related fields.

I believe that as a member of LTC, with extensive oceanography and marine environment experience and expertise, Associate Professor Hà will make positive and substantive contributions to LTC work.

Although LTC members work as individuals and do not represent the Government, Associate Professor Hà’s contributions will enhance the image and position of Việt Nam as an active and responsible member of the international community.

This also affirms that Việt Nam upholds the universal, consistent and comprehensive value of UNCLOS - the "Charter of the Oceans", and always appreciates the contributions of agencies established under UNCLOS in promoting legal order at sea. VNS