32 first doctors among the 63 officers of first level-2 field hospital deployed to South Sudan on October 2, 2018. (Source: VNA)

In the past five years, Vietnam has sent 29 batches of officials to the UN’s two peacekeeping missions in South Sudan and Central African Republic to work as liaison officers, military observers and staff officers.

In October 2018, the country deployed the first level-2 field hospital to South Sudan, and is preparing for the deployment of the second level-2 field hospital and a sapper company soon.

In June 2018, the UN recognised the Vietnam Department of Peacekeeping Operations (VDPO) as one of four international training centres in the region and agreed to carry out training under a three-party partnership (comprising Vietnam, the UN and a partner country).

The selection of Vietnam as a training venue for UN peacekeeping forces reflects the UN's appreciation of Vietnam's commitment and results the country has recorded in UN peacekeeping.

At the meeting of EU Chiefs of Defence in August 2018, the EU invited Vietnam to dispatch officers to work as mobile trainers at some UN peacekeeping training centres of the EU in Central Africa, Somalia, Mali and some European countries.

Deputy Defence Minister Sen. Lieut. Gen. Nguyen Chi Vinh, head of the steering committee of Vietnam's UN peacekeeping operations, said the Vietnam People’s Army is always ready and willing to help other countries with peace consolidation and national reconstruction.

Maj. Gen. Hoang Kim Phung, VDPO Director, stated that the deployment of the first level-2 field hospital in South Sudan affirmed Vietnam’s role, responsibility and efforts in UN peacekeeping.

UN Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix, in a letter sent to Ambassador Dang Dinh Quy, head of Vietnam’s permanent mission to the UN, on November 26, 2018, extended his gratitude to the Vietnamese Government for its successful deployment of the first level-2 field hospital in South Sudan.

Vietnam also has strong support for the UN Security Council’s resolutions on the role of women in all phases of the peace process and in UN peacekeeping activities.

Speaking at a debate on women and UN peacekeeping activities held by the UN Security Council on April 11, Deputy Foreign Minister Le Hoai Trung affirmed Vietnam would step up women’s participation in UN peacekeeping forces.

When assuming the role of the Chair of the Association of Asia-Pacific Peace Operations Training Centres (AAPTC) in 2020 from Thailand at a ceremony in Bangkok on April 26, Maj. Gen. Hoang Kim Phung confirmed that Vietnam backs and obeys the UN’s regulations on the improvement of women’s role in UN peacekeeping missions.

In the near future, Vietnam will send more female officers to join the activities in African nations, he added.

The country plans to coordinate with the UN Development Programme in organising an international workshop on the connectivity between women and UN peacekeeping activities. With this event, Vietnam wants to honour women’s role in peace building and their contributions to world security./.

VNF/VNA