In the past month, Vietnam has chaired sessions discussing 14 matters listed on the UNSC’s working agenda. Vietnam and other UNSC members have evaluated reports drafted by UN missions, acknowledged their achievements and identified the difficulties and challenges ahead to work out appropriate solutions. While discussing the operations of the UN missions in places of unrest, Vietnam asked the UNSC to pay due attention to socio-economic issues these, showing the country’s humanitarian stand for the sake of peace and sustainable development.

Vietnam hosted two open debates on children affected by armed conflicts (CAAC) and the peace process in the Middle East. Chairing the CAAC debate, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Gia Khiem stressed that the debate was to affirm the commitments and efforts of the UNSC, the UN and the international community to reach a permanent solution to the situation. He said that in the context of escalating armed conflicts around the world, it is necessary to seek a comprehensive solution to the root of the problem by taking preventative measures and implementing development, poverty reduction and reintegration projects.

The open debate on the Middle East drew great attention from the UNSC members as this issue has been discussed widely for the first time at this forum over the past year. Vietnamese Ambassador to the UNSC Le Luong Minh, welcomed the agreements reached by the concerned parties, but raised concerns about Israel’s continued military operations in the West Bank, its construction of security line and its blockade of the Gaza Strip. 

The ambassador affirmed that peaceful negotiations are the only solution to conflicts in this area. He called on all the concerned parties to refrain from violence, implement previously reached agreements and abide by international law, particularly the humanitarian law and law on international human rights.

Even though it assumed the UNSC presidency for the first time, Vietnam held a number of different views about new emerging issues at the UNSC, including the situation in Zimbabwe. With Vietnam included in five votes against, the UNSC could not pass a draft resolution to use sanctions against the African country. Vietnam’s view was echoed by Zimbabwe’s neighbours and many other UN member countries who said that the situation there could not pose any threat to global peace and security. Vietnam held the view that the imposition of sanctions against the African country will not only prevent mediation efforts by the African Union and the Southern African Development Community (SADC), but will also create a dangerous precedence for future intervention in the internal affairs of sovereign countries, going against the fundamental rules of international law and the UN Charter.

Vietnam and other UNSC members also released statements condemning the bomb attacks in Afghanistan, India and Turkey and expressed their views on the new developments in Serbia and Abkhazia as well as their concerns about tensions in relations between Thailand and Cambodia and Japan and the Republic of Korea.

Vietnam and the working group are busy finalising the UNSC’s annual report detailing its operations from August 2007 to July 2008.