Vietnam

On behalf of the Vietnamese delegation, I wish to congratulate you, Sir, on your unanimous election as President of the General Assembly at its sixty-sixth session. I am confident that your diplomatic skills and experience will help to ensure the great success of the current session. I would like to take this opportunity to express my deep appreciation to Mr. Joseph Deiss for his significant contributions to the fruitful outcome of the sixty-fifth session. 11-51670 26 The Vietnamese delegation also wishes to congratulate His Excellency Mr. Ban Ki-moon on his reappointment as Secretary-General. We believe that, with the cooperation of Member countries, the Secretary-General will make ever greater contributions to the operations of the United Nations and, thus, to global peace and development. We most warmly welcome the Republic of South Sudan as the 193rd Member of the Organization. Today, peace, cooperation and development remain the over-arching themes of our time. Yet tensions and conflicts persist in most continents and regions, owing to unresolved differences within nations and the threat and use of force. Climate change, natural disasters, pandemics, transnational crime, the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and international terrorism are still the challenges that demand effective responses. The world economy’s unstable recovery, coupled with economic downturns in many developed nations, has exposed developing countries to the risks of even more unequal terms of trade, rising protectionism, dwindling financial resources and the erosion of gains relating to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Multilateral negotiations on issues of common interest, such as disarmament and climate change, have not yielded results that meet our expectations. The current situation compels nations to promote dialogue and cooperation so as to surmount common challenges, man-made and natural alike. Peace, security and stability remain the intense desire of all nations and are prerequisites for development. The key to success lies in each nation’s own efforts, as well as in enhanced international cooperation and multilateralism based on respect for the fundamental principles of international law and the Charter of the United Nations, while taking into account the legitimate interests of all countries, especially developing ones. In that regard, Viet Nam commends you, Mr. President, on the theme that you have proposed for the general debate, namely, the peaceful settlement of disputes. As rightly pointed out by the Secretary-General, never has the United Nations been so relevant and so urgently needed by so many people around the world. It must deliver concrete results that make a real difference in the daily lives of the world’s people. With its universal membership, the Organization undoubtedly enjoys a unique legitimacy and should thus be at the forefront of global governance and multilateral cooperation. Over the past several years, the United Nations has played a crucial role in ending conflicts and promoting peace processes in various regions. We deeply value the initiatives that place the needs of the poorest and most vulnerable at the centre of the international agenda, as well as initiatives to mobilize resources and capacities to fulfil internationally agreed action plans, including the MDGs; facilitate multilateral negotiations on climate change, as well as on disarmament and the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction; provide solutions to such pressing issues as desertification, non-communicable diseases, nuclear safety and security; and respond to the global financial and economic crisis. We cannot help mentioning the efforts of the United Nations funds, programmes and specialized agencies to establish norms and set agendas in accordance with their mandates, so as to assist developing countries in their development endeavours. At the same time, the international community looks to the Organization as a source of inspiration and strength, as a universal organization that can act decisively to counter any tendency that may undermine its credibility or contradict its fundamental values and founding purposes and principles. The Organization is therefore expected to uphold the values of peace and security, international law and multilateralism. It is also expected to become more responsive and effective on the ground, with the ultimate objective of better serving the needs and interests of Member States, in particular the developing countries. As world peace and security are always our top priority, the United Nations should continue its concerted and coherent efforts to promote the peaceful settlement of civil wars and local conflicts in various regions of the world, especially those in North Africa and the Middle East, while preventing others from erupting. We must cultivate a culture of peace and dialogue and promote the peaceful settlement of disputes. In that regard, Viet Nam supports efforts to end violence and strengthen national reconstruction and reconciliation in Afghanistan and Iraq. As regards Palestine’s application for full membership in the United Nations Organization, Viet Nam wishes to underline the fact that we recognized the State of Palestine in 1988. We 27 11-51670 have always supported the just struggle of the Palestinian people for their inalienable rights, including the right to establish an independent and sovereign State that coexists peacefully with Israel with the pre-June 1967 borders. In that spirit, we affirm our strong support for Palestine’s efforts to soon become a full United Nations Member. We support United Nations efforts to translate the outcomes of the 2010 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and the recently concluded High- level Meeting on nuclear safety and security into concrete results. We also support the Organization’s efforts to revitalize the work of the Conference on Disarmament and move multilateral disarmament negotiations forwards. In parallel with security concerns, the international community, with the United Nations at the centre, should work for more equal international relations, a fairer international economic and financial architecture and more just institutions. Developing countries must have a greater role and say in international governance. They should be enabled to take part in the globalization process in a more proactive and effective manner. Developed countries, for their part, should deliver on their obligations and commitments, including the maintenance of macroeconomic stability, contribution to the successful conclusion of the Doha Round, the elimination of unfair trade measures and an increase in development assistance. Given the continued need to draw on the thinking and action towards a more stable and healthy global economic environment, we wish to recommend that the United Nations convene a meeting in the General Assembly or the Economic and Social Council to follow up the Outcome of the Conference on the World Financial and Economic Crisis and Its Impact on Development (resolution 63/303), which was held in June 2009. In the meantime, the United Nations should undertake measures to prevent the unilateral use of economic means against developing countries. Viet Nam strongly calls for an end to the economic embargo against the Republic of Cuba. Moreover, to promote inclusive and sustainable development, political commitment and efforts, with the central coordinating role played by the United Nations, must be doubled for the attainment of equitable and sustainable development for all. Four years from the agreed target date of 2015, it is essential that the global partnership for development be expanded, both in breadth and depth, so as to provide countries in need with relevant policy experience, resources and best practices to achieve the MDGs and maintain the process thereof. Equally important is to begin developing a vision for a global development platform for the post-2015 period. We must also work much harder together to ensure the fruitful outcomes of the forthcoming seventeenth session of the Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in South Africa and the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development in Brazil. Viet Nam is committed to working with other Member States to revitalize the General Assembly as the principal deliberative, policymaking and representative organ, to enhance the overarching role of the Economic and Social Council in the development sphere, and to enlarge Security Council membership and improve its working methods. We also look forward to more coherent, consistent and effective development activities of the United Nations system so as to align them effectively with the national priorities of recipient countries. In an effort to contribute to United Nations reforms, Viet Nam has been active in implementing the Delivering as One initiative and, together with the United Nations and other partners, has made tangible progress. Viet Nam welcomes the adoption of resolution 65/281 on the review of the Human Rights Council. We wish to stress that the operation of the Human Rights Council and other United Nations human rights mechanisms should continue to be improved in order to become more effective, consistent and efficient, while focusing more on dialogue and experience-sharing. To further contribute to that end, we have presented Viet Nam’s candidature for membership of the Human Rights Council for the term 2013-2016. The year 2011 is important for Viet Nam since we have successfully organized the eleventh party congress and the elections of State bodies. We have also adopted a socio-economic development strategy for the next decade. During the past 25 years of comprehensive renewal, Viet Nam has made significant achievements in many aspects and the country has 11-51670 28 integrated extensively into international life. We have managed to establish and strengthen stable and long- term frameworks of relations with major countries and global and regional economic and political centres. Building on those achievements, in the coming period, Viet Nam is determined to comprehensively step up the renewal process, with higher quality and effectiveness, as well as national industrialization and modernization, in combination with the development of a knowledge-based economy. In an effort to broaden and deepen our relations with other countries, Viet Nam will continue an independent foreign policy for peace, cooperation and development. Viet Nam is a reliable friend and partner, as well as a responsible member of the international community, working for the prosperity of every nation, national independence, global peace, democracy and social progress. We shall enhance international integration and proactively participate in and contribute to regional and international multilateral forums, such as the United Nations, the Asia-Europe Meeting, the Asia- Pacific Economic Cooperation, the Non-Aligned Movement and the Group of 77 and China, on solving global issues of nuclear security, nuclear disarmament, crime prevention, climate change, sustainable development and cooperation on the Mekong River. Furthermore, we are always willing to share with other countries our experiences in South-South and tripartite cooperation, financing for development, enhancing aid effectiveness and mainstreaming the MDGs into national socio-economic strategies. We shall work closely with the other members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and other stakeholders for peace, stability, cooperation and development in South-East Asia, East Asia and beyond through ASEAN-led mechanisms and instruments, such as the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia, the South-East Asia Nuclear-Weapon-Free-Zone, the ASEAN Regional Forum and the East Asia Summit. In that regard, Viet Nam welcomes and supports contributions to peace and security in the Eastern Sea. Like other ASEAN members, Viet Nam is strongly committed to dialogue and confidence-building mechanisms and stands ready to support and participate in any effort to find peaceful settlements to disputes, in accordance with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and that are acceptable to all parties concerned. Pending such a solution, we will, along with the parties concerned, strictly observe the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the Eastern Sea. We welcome the stated commitments to working together towards the conclusion of a code of conduct in the foreseeable future. This year’s session of the General Assembly is taking place at a crucial juncture as the world is faced with daunting challenges. It is my firm belief that only by undertaking joint efforts and enhancing multilateral cooperation could we meet the expectations and aspirations of our peoples and manage to set out the right direction for the long-term development of the United Nations. Viet Nam remains strongly committed to that endeavour.