UN Deputy Secretary-General: Vietnam is a role model in overcoming the consequences of bombs and mines and maintaining peace

That was the comment of United Nations (UN) Deputy Secretary-General in charge of peacekeeping operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix at a press conference on the afternoon of June 13 in Hanoi.

UN Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix. (Photo: Thu Trang)

Returning to Vietnam after three years since his working trip in November 2022, UN Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix expressed his impression of Vietnam's outstanding efforts in overcoming the consequences of bombs and mines and its outstanding contributions to international peacekeeping operations.

Strong determination to overcome the consequences of war

According to UN officials, Vietnam has been actively working to clear and deal with the consequences of bombs and mines left over from the war. However, the amount of remaining bombs and mines is still very large, causing 17.7% of the total territory to be contaminated.

With current capacity, only about 40,000 to 50,000 hectares of land are cleared each year, meaning it would take 150 to 180 years to complete the entire work on about 5.6 million hectares of contaminated area.

Meanwhile, unexploded ordnance seriously hinders socio -economic development efforts, affecting infrastructure projects, farming and education.

Faced with such enormous challenges, Mr. Jean-Pierre Lacroix assessed that Vietnam has demonstrated "extremely strong political determination" with ambitious goals, a spirit of national autonomy, and close partnerships to promote efforts to overcome the consequences of post-war bombs and mines.

Specifically, Vietnam has a solid institutional foundation, with a National Steering Committee for overcoming the consequences of post-war bombs, mines and toxic chemicals; building a long-term action plan with strong policies, and at the same time building a close partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in the field of overcoming the consequences of war.

Bomb and mine clearance in Quang Tri. (Photo: Nguyen Hong)

Deputy Director General of the Vietnam National Mine Action Center (VNMAC) Nguyen Van Cuong said that Vietnam is developing a project to shorten the time to overcome the consequences of bombs and mines to about 35 to 40 years, with the basic goal of clearing bombs and mines to a depth of 0.5m by 2065. To realize this goal, Vietnam is developing an Ordinance on Overcoming the Consequences of Post-War Bombs and Mines and a National Strategy on Education to Prevent Bomb and Mine Accidents.

In addition, the UN Deputy Secretary-General emphasized the importance of applying an integrated approach, harmonizing mine action with agricultural, socio-economic and sustainable development.

Referring to the project "Mine Action for Peace Villages Vietnam-Korea", the UN official said that this is a typical example of the close connection between mine clearance activities and sustainable development, returning clean land for cultural and educational purposes and enhancing the resilience of contaminated lands.

"Vietnam can be seen as an example of political determination with a clear framework of action in overcoming the consequences of bombs and mines. Vietnam's valuable experiences need to be shared with the international community," Mr. Jean-Pierre Lacroix emphasized.

He also affirmed that the UN is committed to continuing to support Vietnam's efforts in overcoming the consequences of bombs and mines, to ensure that people can live a safe and peaceful life.

International Forum 'Enhancing the participation of female police officers in UN peacekeeping operations - International and Vietnamese experiences', June 12 in Hanoi. (Source: UN Women)

Outstanding contribution to peacekeeping

Sharing his impressions while attending the International Forum "Enhancing the participation of female police officers in UN peacekeeping operations - International and Vietnamese experiences" the day before and working meetings with leaders of relevant ministries and sectors, Mr. Jean-Pierre Lacroix highly appreciated Vietnam's positive and outstanding contributions to UN peacekeeping operations.

According to UN officials, the Vietnamese peacekeeping force, including police officers, an engineering unit in Abyei and a level 2 field hospital in South Sudan, has made significant and effective contributions, which have been recognized and appreciated by the local community. The Vietnamese Ministry of Public Security is also currently training officers and staff to prepare to join the first peacekeeping police unit (FPU).

“We appreciate and thank Vietnam for its support for the UN in general and the UN peacekeeping force in particular,” UN Deputy Secretary-General Jean-Pierre Lacroix emphasized.

Referring to the Agenda on Women, Peace and Security, Mr. Jean-Pierre Lacroix pointed out that Vietnam has sent many female officers to participate in UN peacekeeping missions, being one of the countries with the highest proportion of female participation among the countries sending troops (14-15%). Thereby, demonstrating the initiative in promoting the participation and contribution of women to world peace and security. Not stopping there, Vietnam continues to set a goal of increasing the proportion of women in this force to 20% in the period 2026-2027.

The UN Deputy Secretary-General stressed that women's participation in peacekeeping operations will increase the effectiveness of these activities and promote women's empowerment, especially women living in conflict-affected areas.

Along with the implementation of the first National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security (2024-2030), the recent commitments of the Vietnamese Ministry of Public Security and Ministry of National Defense to continue maintaining and increasing the proportion of women participating in peacekeeping activities have been highly appreciated by the UN.

According to him, those specific and positive commitments and contributions demonstrate Vietnam's strong support and commitment to multilateralism and the central role of the UN in global governance.

"In the context of multilateralism facing many challenges, Vietnam's role, voice and contributions at the UN are essential and important to promote international cooperation and solidarity," Mr. Jean-Pierre Lacroix concluded.

Panorama of the press conference. (Photo: Thu Trang)

Since June 2014, the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defense has successfully deployed nearly 1,100 officers and staff to peacekeeping missions and United Nations headquarters as individuals and units.

On a personal level, the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defense has sent nearly 153 officers to perform the duties of staff officers and military observers of the United Nations (at the missions UNMISS - South Sudan, MINUSCA - Central African Republic, UNISFA - Abyei region and the United Nations headquarters in New York).

In terms of unit form, from October 2018 to present, Vietnam has successfully deployed 6 level 2 field hospitals to the UNMISS mission in South Sudan and from May 2022, 3 Engineering teams have been deployed to the UNISFA mission in the Abyei region.

In the coming time, the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defense is committed to continuing to maintain and increase the proportion of women participating in peacekeeping activities, aiming to reach the target of over 20% for individuals and over 15% for units in the 2025-2030 period.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/pho-tong-thu-ky-lhq-viet-nam-la-tam-guong-trong-khac-phuc-hau-qua-bom-min-va-gin-giu-hoa-binh-317647.html