Minister Counsellor Lê Thị Minh Thoa, Deputy Permanent Representative of Việt Nam to the United Nations, addressing the annual meeting of the Special Committee on the Charter of the United Nations in New York on February 21. — VNA/VNS Photo

NEW YORK — The Special Committee on the Charter of the United Nations opened its annual meeting on February 21 with representatives from more than 80 member states, including Việt Nam. 

This year’s session focuses on the role of the UN Charter in maintaining international peace and security, the peaceful settlement of disputes, and the role of regional mechanisms and agreements.

Addressing the session, Minister Counsellor Lê Thị Minh Thoa, Deputy Permanent Representative of Việt Nam to the UN, underlined the need to abide by the UN Charter and principles of international law to maintain international peace and security, especially as the world faces many common challenges.

Regarding sanctions, Thoa said the measure should only be applied when it is the last solution. She said that to prevent adverse effects on economic activities and people's lives, sanctions should be built on a clear legal basis with specific objectives and application time.

In addition, periodic reviews are necessary to ensure that when the goal of the sanctions is achieved, they are also lifted. The Vietnamese representative called on sanction committees and expert groups to fully consider the impact of sanctions on third countries.

Over the peaceful settlement of disputes, Thoa said that Việt Nam always upholds this fundamental principle of international law and supports measures stated in Article 33 of the UN Charter.

Việt Nam supports the exchange and sharing of information on national practices in using regional mechanisms and agreements to build trust and prevent and reduce conflicts, she stated.

She said that ASEAN had taken a leading role at the regional level in establishing effective dialogue mechanisms such as the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) and the East Asia Summit (EAS).

Along with continuing to reinforce fundamental documents for friendly cooperation and dispute settlement such as the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC), the association has worked with partners to implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) and negotiate for a Code of Conduct in the South China Sea (COC), in line with international law and the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea 1982 (UNCLOS), said Thoa.

The Special Committee on the Charter of the United Nations was established in 1975, creating a forum for member states to discuss the implementation of the Charter. The Special Committee meets annually to consider relevant proposals. Since its adoption in 1945, the UN Charter has been revised three times, in 1963, 1965 and 1973. — VNS