Delegates attending the evaluation conference. — VNA/VNS Photo Trọng Đức

HÀ NỘI — A conference on summarizing the implementation of the law regarding participation in United Nations peacekeeping operations (UNPKO) took place on Tuesday at the headquarters of the Ministry of Defence in Hà Nội.

The evaluation conference recognised that Việt Nam's participation in UN peacekeeping operations had been effectively implemented, achieving significant results and creating a positive impact on Việt Nam's international standing.

Lieutenant General Hoàng Xuân Chiến, Central Party Committee member and Deputy Minister of Defence chaired the conference.

The conference was also attended by Lieutenant General Phùng Sĩ Tấn, Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Việt Nam People's Army, Permanent Deputy Head of the Inter-Agency Task Force, and Deputy Head of the Ministry of Defence's Steering Committee on UNPKO participation, as well as representatives from related ministries.

Resolution No. 130/2020/QH14 of the National Assembly on Việt Nam's participation in UN peacekeeping operations is fundamentally consistent, unified, and harmonised with the 2013 Constitution, the 2018 Law on National Defence, and the 2018 Law on People's Public Security, according to participants' assessment.

The coordination between the Ministry of National Defence and relevant ministries and agencies in implementing the Resolution and related government decrees has been closely supervised, guided, and relatively consistent. This is demonstrated through cooperative efforts in researching, advising, and issuing legal documents, as well as organising inter-agency inspection teams to assess the Việt Nam contingent in field missions and coordinating the implementation of procedures for deploying forces in UN peacekeeping operations.

The Việt Nam contingent in UN peacekeeping operations has received attention and efforts in resource development and capacity enhancement. Adequate material and equipment support is provided throughout the mission. Legal education regarding participation in UN peacekeeping operations has been prioritised and has significantly improved awareness of the importance of Việt Nam's participation in such operations.

Delegates also acknowledged that Việt Nam's participation in UN peacekeeping operations was relatively new, which made it difficult to have a complete and harmonised legal framework in this field, keeping up with the development of UN peacekeeping tasks.

Furthermore, the national coordination of participation in UN peacekeeping forces had not been clearly defined and lacked systematic implementation. Some regulations and policies to ensure the welfare of the participating forces had not fully met practical requirements and had not kept pace with the development of UN peacekeeping tasks.

The delegates unanimously agreed on the need to continue researching, developing, and completing the legal framework regarding Việt Nam's participation in UN peacekeeping operations to meet practical requirements and mission demands in the new situation. They proposed compiling a proposal for the construction of a law on the participation of Vietnamese forces in UN peacekeeping operations to be submitted to the Government and the National Assembly in accordance with the prescribed procedures.

In the concluding statement of the conference, Lieutenant General Hoàng Xuân Chiến expressed his desire for relevant ministries and agencies to support the Ministry of Defence and the Steering Committee in implementing the construction of the law on the participation of Vietnamese forces in UN peacekeeping operations, in accordance with the Government's guidance, to contribute to the completion of Việt Nam's legal framework in this field.

To proceed with the next steps in compiling the proposal for the construction of the law on the participation of Vietnamese forces in UN peacekeeping operations, Chiến suggested that the Việt Nam Peacekeeping Department in coordination with relevant agencies and units, incorporate opinions and consultations from the delegates at the conference to improve the report summarising the implementation of the legal framework for Việt Nam's participation in UN peacekeeping operations.

Chiến also proposed that relevant agencies and units continue to focus on the selection and training of forces preparing to participate in UN peacekeeping operations.

This would demonstrate the correct foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, multilateralisation, and diversification of foreign relations, and contribute to actively and responsibly fulfilling international community obligations, thereby enhancing the prestige and position of the nation, the Việt Nam People's Army, and the Vietnamese People's Public Security on the international stage. — VNS