Remarks by H.E. Pham Binh Minh Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Viet Nam at UN75 Reception

• Mr. Kamal Malhotra, UN Resident Coordinator,
• Distinguished Members of the UN Country Team,
• Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,

Let me start by congratulating you, Mr. Malhotra, and the entire UN Country Team on the 75th anniversary of the foundation of the United Nations.

As we celebrate this special occasion, I join you here tonight with a sense of pride, and with a message of commitment and hope.

For three quarters of a century, the United Nations has worked tirelessly for the betterment of the world. As the “centre for harmonizing the actions of nations”, the UN has been at the heart of international efforts to secure peace and promote sustainable development.

The principles set out in the UN Charter have been fundamental in regulating modern international relations. UN peacekeepers have brought hope to people in conflict-ridden areas. The presence of UN personnel on the ground, in humanitarian activities or development projects, have changed the lives of millions for the better.

The success and strengths of the UN derives from its special legitimacy, conferred on it by Member States, from an overarching agenda, covering peace and security, development and human rights, that aims to leave no one behind, and from the Organization’s commitment to and promotion of international law. These remain the key to a stronger and more effective United Nations as we move forward.

Excellencies,

Ladies and gentlemen,

Viet Nam highly appreciates the cooperation with the United Nations.

I remember very vividly the vital food aid and medical supplies provided by UN agencies in the early post-war days.

The UN has been active and effective in supporting our Doi moi reforms since the very beginning. UN support helped strengthen our legal frameworks and development policies, enhance institution building and human resource development.

UN support contributed meaningfully to Viet Nam’s economic, social and cultural development achievements. Vietnamese women are more empowered, our children better nurtured, jobs made more decent. Our healthcare system is stronger, our agriculture modernized. Our efforts to tackle climate change and environmental challenges have been strengthened.

As I speak, a UN team of experts just completed a mission to the Central provinces to help assess the impacts of recent storms and floods and devise emergency and long-term responses.

All this would not have been possible without the dedication, commitment and hard work of each and every UN staff, the close collaboration of Government agencies, and the support of development partners. On behalf of the Government and people of Viet Nam, I thank you all.

The world we live in today is vastly different from when the UN was founded 75 years ago. But the challenges we are facing are no less daunting. As Secretary-General Antonio Guterres put it, [and I quote] “the world faces its gravest test since the founding of this Organization”.

Multiple crises are ongoing. COVID-19 has not only created a health crisis, but also an economic, social and human crisis. Great power competition, tensions and conflicts, and a lack of commitment to multilateralism are posing serious challenges to the work of the United Nations.

It is in these times of difficulties that we must work together in solidarity and strengthen multilateralism and international law, with the UN at its core.

Viet Nam remains strongly committed to advancing multilateral cooperation and supporting the work of the United Nations. We are working with fellow members of the Security Council to contribute to the maintenance of international peace and security. The Vietnamese flag will be flying at more UN Peacekeeping Missions. Viet Nam is also at the forefront of UN reform, exemplified by progress in implementing Delivering as One. As Chair of ASEAN this year, we are working to advance ASEAN-UN cooperation, including in response to the impacts of COVID-19 pandemic.

As Viet Nam charts its development strategy for the next five and ten years and continues efforts to implement the SDGs, we look forward to the UN’s continued assistance in policy advice, knowledge and experience-sharing, networking and capacity building. It is high time we started preparing the next One Strategic Plan to guide our cooperation, in line with Viet Nam’s development priorities, while taking full advantage of the comparative advantages of all UN agencies.

To conclude, ladies and gentlemen, I am hopeful, but also extremely confident that the United Nations will continue to be the beacon of multilateral cooperation, the incubator of ideas and initiatives for global peace and development, and that the Viet Nam – UN partnership will continue to grow from strength to strength.

I thank you./.