Việt Nam welcomed UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres’s reform initiatives with a view to fulfilling the UN’s mission in peacekeeping and helping member states achieve development goals. — Photo Kyodo

NEW YORK — Ambassador Nguyễn Phương Nga, head of Việt Nam’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations, affirmed Việt Nam’s commitment to promoting peace and security in the region and the world during the UN General Assembly’s High-level Meeting on Peace Building and Sustaining Peace, in New York on April 24 and 25.

In her speech, Nga said amidst current complicated and uncertain challenges, the UN needs to take a comprehensive approach and put people in the position to prevent and deal with disputes in line with the UN Charter and international law, neither use nor threaten to use force, and respect the political independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of each country.

Việt Nam welcomed UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres’s reform initiatives with a view to fulfilling the UN’s mission in peacekeeping and helping member states achieve development goals, she said.

The ambassador reiterated Việt Nam’s consistent policy of peacefully settling disputes, including the East Sea issue, in line with international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and in respect of legal and diplomatic process towards achieving a Code of Conduct (COC) in the East Sea.

She revealed that Việt Nam is accelerating preparations for the launch of a level-2 field hospital in South Sudan.

In his opening remarks, President of the UN General Assembly Miroslav Lajcak called on member states to give priority to preventing conflicts, building and maintaining peace, and upholding the UN’s leadership in strengthening global peace and security, as well as promoting sustainable development and ensuring human rights.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres highlighted the need to support member states, especially those hit by conflicts, and called for brainpower, science-technology cooperation and the budgeting of resources to the UN’s activities to prevent conflicts, maintain peace and deal with immigration and refugee crises.

Participants emphasised the necessity to deal with root causes of conflicts and uphold the role of intermediaries, while encouraging the involvement of women and young people.

They agreed to enhance the UN’s leadership role and support the UN Secretary General’s reform initiatives to improve the efficiency of the organisation’s activities. They also agreed to increase collective efforts and partnerships, and pool necessary resources for peace maintenance and sustainable development.

As scheduled, the UN General Assembly and Security Council will adopt a resolution on April 26, requesting the UN Secretary General to submit reports on the implementation of recommendations regarding peace building and maintenance. — VNS