Việt Nam assumed the role of the Chair of the Association of Asia-Pacific Peace Operations Training Centres (AAPTC) in 2020 from Thailand during its annual general meeting and workshop in Bangkok on Friday. —  VNA/VNS Photo

BANGKOK — Việt Nam assumed the role of the Chair of the Association of Asia-Pacific Peace Operations Training Centres (AAPTC) in 2020 from Thailand during its annual general meeting and workshop in Bangkok on Friday.

It is the first time Việt Nam has undertaken the role since joining UN peacekeeping activities in 2014 and becoming an APPTC member. 

The Vietnamese delegation was led by the head of the Việt Nam Department of Peacekeeping Operations, Major General Hoàng Kim Phụng.

The April 23-26 event took the theme “Stepping Up to the Challenge: The Asia-Pacific Actions and Response to Increasing Effective Performance in United Nations Peace Operations”, attracting 21 delegations from member states such as Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Bangladesh, and all ASEAN members except Laos. 

It aimed to strengthen ties among Asia-Pacific peacekeeping centres with discussions on improving operation capacity, peace and security, and citizen protection, while suggesting common plans to deal with new challenges. 

Participants looked into restructuring the UN agencies in charge of peace and security, and citizen protection via enhancing women’s role in peacekeeping activities, as well as training. 

Speaking at the event, Phụng highlighted Việt Nam’s efforts and achievements over the past five years, affirming that Việt Nam always supported the UN’s criteria for improving women’s role in peacekeeping activities, evidenced by its sending of the first female officer to the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) while the rate of women at Việt Nam’s level-2 field hospital on duty at UNMISS reached 16 per cent, higher than the UN’s suggested level of 10-15 per cent. 

The Vietnamese side also reaffirmed that if Việt Nam could replace the UK engineer corps at the UNMISS, it would send at least 10 per cent of female staff to the mission. 

The Vietnamese head delegate also offered ideas to improve the efficiency of training for peacekeeping staff before their departure for the mission. — VNS