Vietnam's 47-year journey as valued member of the UN
Hanoi, September 20 (VNA) - Cooperation between Vietnam and the United Nations (UN) over the last 47 years (September 20, 1977 – 2024) has contributed to protecting national interests, particularly in strengthening a peaceful and secure environment conducive to development, fostering deeper international integration, thus increasing Vietnam's position on the global stage.
Milestones in Vietnam – UN relations
Immediately after becoming a UN member on September 20, 1977, Vietnam leveraged the support and endorsement of member countries to secure the adoption of Resolution 32/2 by the UN General Assembly's 32nd session (1977), which called on countries and international organisations to provide aid and assistance for Vietnam's post-war reconstruction.
During Vietnam's Doi Moi (renewal) process (1986-2011), the UN’s non-refundable assistance for Vietnam exceeded 630 million USD. Since the early 1990s, many member countries of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), and international and regional financial organisations resumed aid for Vietnam. However, the UN made up 30% of the country's external sources of technical assistance.
Cooperation projects significantly supported the Vietnamese Government in making development policies and improving State agencies and their staff's management capacity. The UN also made valuable contributions to the enhancement of local technical capacity, the development of human resources in science and technology, and the settlement of social issues in the country.
In the 2007-2011 period, implementing the foreign policy of multilateralism and diversification of foreign relations, Vietnam made use of the UN as a forum for strengthening ties with its organisations and international organisations. Notably, during this time, Vietnam fulfilled its role as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council (UNSC) for the 2008 – 2009 term. The country proactively coordinated with UN development organisations to pilot the "One UN" initiative, which was praised by donors.
Within the framework of the UN Delivering as One (DaO) initiative, the Government of Vietnam and the UN actively coordinated to implement the UN One Plan for the 2012-2016 period in accordance with the five-year Socio-Economic Development Plan (SEDP) and the Socio-Economic Development Strategy (SEDS) of Vietnam.
The plan prioritised three main areas, including growth quality, access to social protection and social services, and voice and public governance enhancement.
In 2017-2021, the two sides completed the Joint One Strategic Plan (OSP) within the framework of the "One UN" initiative signed in July 2017 to support the Vietnamese Government in implementing the Socio-Economic Development Plan in the 2016-2020 period and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
At that time, Vietnam approved the national cooperation programmes between the country and the UN Development Programme (UNDP), the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), and the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), as well as the Vietnam-UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework in the 2022-2026 period.
At the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26), Vietnam participated and promoted important multilateral initiatives. Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh made a commitment to bringing net emissions to zero by 2050. Vietnam joined the Global Methane Pledge to cut at least 30% of methane emissions by 2030, the Glasgow Leaders' Declaration on Forests and Land Use, the Global Coal to Clean Power Transition statement, and the Alliance for Transformative Action on Climate and Health (ATACH).
Vietnam also coordinated well with the UN in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. The UN General Assembly approved Vietnam’s initiative with a resolution proclaiming December 27 as the International Day of Epidemic Preparedness.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Vietnam received more than 61.7 million doses of vaccine through the COVAX Facility and medical supplies worth 45 million USD from UN organisations. Vietnam contributed 50,000 USD to the UN COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund and one million USD to COVAX. The country also became a place to receive and treat patients under the UN medical evacuation (MEDEVAC) mechanism.
Amidst the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Vietnam has donated 500,000 USD to humanitarian relief activities to support people affected by the conflict in Ukraine.
Vietnam's contributions to the UN
In recent years, Vietnam actively engaged in the UN's efforts to address regional and international peace and security issues and promote human rights. Vietnam participated in negotiating and signing the 2018 Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), becoming the 10th country to ratify the treaty.
In the field of UN peacekeeping, Vietnam deployed 493 military officers to UN peacekeeping missions in South Sudan, the Central African Republic, and the Department of Peace Operations at the UN headquarters. It also deployed four Field Hospitals No. 2 at the UN mission in South Sudan and one engineering unit at the UN mission in Abyei (the area of dispute between South Sudan and Sudan). Vietnam is one of the countries with the highest female participation rate among countries sending peacekeepers.
On the other hand, Vietnam has made increasingly substantive contributions to the UN, including upholding the role of the UN and multilateralism; promoting respect for the UN Charter, international law, equal relations, and development cooperation between countries and the nations’ right to self-determination. It has opposed acts of oppression, invasion and unilateral embargo in international relations; participating in the discussion and adoption of many important UN resolutions and declarations on development cooperation, disarmament, non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, anti-terrorism, and human rights protection.
Vietnam is hailed by the UN and the international community as a successful example in implementing the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and a country that is determined and committed to realising the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development as well as the Paris Agreement on climate change.
Vietnam has also been active in promoting initiatives to reform the UN, and is considered one of the leading countries in implementing the UN “Delivering as One” initiative to increase the effectiveness of UN operations at the national level.
Thanks to its contributions, Vietnam has been elected to many UN agencies in important positions, such as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for 2020-2021 term, a member of the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for the 2021-2023 term, a member of the Postal Operations Council (POC) of the Universal Postal Union (UPU) for the 2022-2025 term, and Vice President of UN General Assembly's 77th session (September 2022 – 2023). Vietnam is now a member of three important UNESCO mechanisms, including the Executive Board in the 2021-2025 tenure, the Inter-Governmental Committee for the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions in the 2021-2025 tenure, and the Inter-Governmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage in the 2022-2026 tenure. It was also elected to the International Law Commission (ILC) for the 2023-2027 tenure, the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in the 2023-2025 tenure, and the Legal and Technical Commission (LTC) for the 2023-2027 term.
Throughout its journey with the UN, Vietnam has increasingly established itself as an active and responsible member, making effective contributions that are highly valued by the international community.
During his visit to Vietnam in October 2022 on the occasion of the 45th anniversary of the country’s membership in the UN, UN Secretary-General António Guterres expressed his admiration for Vietnam’s achievements. He highlighted that Vietnam had transitioned from a recipient of UN assistance to become one of the world's country exporting food exporters and contributing significantly to UN peacekeeping activities.
Guterres affirmed that the UN will continue to support Vietnam's development priorities, and back the country to continue playing the role of the host and chair of major international events and conferences on marine and ocean issues in the future.
Regarding Vietnam's role and position in the region and the world, UN Resident Coordinator in Vietnam Pauline Tamesis said that since joining the UN in September 1977, Vietnam has transformed from a country dependent on UN assistance to one that has strongly contributed to the regional and global agenda, demonstrating its role as an increasingly active member of the international community, including contributions to peacekeeping missions and the UN Women, Peace and Security Agenda.
She spoke highly Vietnam’s dynamic and positive contributions as a UN member in recent years, noting that the relationship between Vietnam and the UN is "very strong and special," helping the two sides overcome past global challenges and better prepare for future ones.
From the period of post-war national reconstruction to the era of breaking the embargo and increasingly international integration, cooperation between Vietnam and the UN has been of great significance, resulting in positive effects while meeting Vietnam’s requirements and interests in each period, and contributing to strengthening the role and voice of Vietnam at the UN.
These results have created favourable conditions for joint efforts of Vietnam and the UN in overcoming existing problems, improving the effectiveness of bilateral cooperation, and supporting Vietnam’s national development and international integration as well as increasing the role of the UN in the new era./.
