Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh delivers the speech from Hanoi (Photo: VNA)Hanoi (VNA) – Deputy PrimeMinister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh delivered a speech at the UnitedNations Security Council Summit-Level Debate themed “Maintenance ofinternational peace and security: global governance after COVID-19” held onlineon September 24.
The following is the full text of his speech.
“Mr. President,
I thank you, Mr. President, forpersonally chairing this important debate on the post-COVID-19 GlobalGovernance we need for the peaceful and secured future we want. I thankSecretary-General Guterres and the African Union Commission Chairperson, fortheir insightful briefings.
Since my last statement at thedebate on “Pandemics and the Challenges of Sustaining Peace” just one and ahalf month ago, COVID-19 has infected more than 10 million andclaimed the lives of over two hundred thousand peopleglobally. Yet, that is just the tip of the iceberg. Many more, particularlythose in vulnerable conflict and post-conflict situations, have been and willbe severely affected due to the lingering impacts of this unprecedented crisis.
The pandemic has laid bare the fragilityof our world and “risks ignored for decades: inadequate health systems; gaps insocial protection; structural inequalities; environmental degradation; theclimate crisis”, as assessed in the latest Report of the Secretary-General onthe work of the Organization. Equally serious, faltering multilateralcooperation, excessive nationalism, political tensions, or even the use of thepandemic to trigger discrimination and hatred, have hampered our commonresponse.
It is important that we standtogether against these obstacles and strengthen our commitments towardssustainable recovery from the pandemic and resilience in face of possiblefuture crises.
Mr. President,
Experience in many countries andregions, including Viet Nam and ASEAN, has demonstrated that good governance isthe lynchpin to cope with interconnected dimensions of COVID-19, particularlythrough a whole-of-government and people-centred approach, decisive and earlyresponse, social unity and cohesion, and innovative financing for development.
Viet Nam believes that goodglobal governance should aim to deliver for all rather than a few.International efforts should prioritize economic recovery with special focus onassistance for developing countries, addressing inequalities and root causes ofconflicts, protection and support for vulnerable groups such as women,children, refugees, and internally displaced persons. We call for moreintensified political and financial commitments, particularly from developedcountries, to assist the most vulnerable people and countries in need.
As no one wins until everyonewins, how the world emerges from the pandemic will depend on each and everynation’s ability to build trust, nurture commitments and work together tochampion multilateralism with the United Nations as the coordination centre andregional organizations playing a more active role. Multilateral institutions,on their part, should seize this critical moment to spearhead concrete reformmeasures to adapt their relevance and efficiency to the evolving internationalcontext.
The Security Council is noexception. To fulfill its primary responsibility in the maintenance ofinternational peace and security, the Council needs to show the highest levelof cooperation while improving its responsiveness, adaptability and efficiency.To timely respond to global security challenges and non-traditional securitychallenges that can aggravate vulnerable political and security situations, itis important that the Council make best use of available tools, particularlypreventive diplomacy, conflict prevention, peacemaking and peacekeepingmandates. Viet Nam supports the implementation of Security Council Resolution2532 and urges all warring parties to earnestly heed the Secretary-General’scall for an immediate global ceasefire.
Mr. President,
On 8 August 2020, ASEAN ForeignMinisters issued a joint statement reiterating commitments to maintainingSoutheast Asia as a region of peace, security, neutrality and stability, andstrengthening peace-oriented values in the region in line with internationallaw. Subsequently, at the 53rd ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meetingheld on 9 September 2020, ASEAN members have reaffirmed their resolve toexpeditiously develop a comprehensive recovery framework to move forwardASEAN’s COVID-19 recovery efforts and underscored the importance ofstrengthening cooperation with a view to mitigating the profound impacts of thepandemic. As ASEAN Chair 2020 and a member of the Council for the term2020-2021, Viet Nam is strongly committed to joining global efforts to fightour common challenges and preventing them from undermining regional andinternational peace and stability”./.
The following is the full text of his speech.
“Mr. President,
I thank you, Mr. President, forpersonally chairing this important debate on the post-COVID-19 GlobalGovernance we need for the peaceful and secured future we want. I thankSecretary-General Guterres and the African Union Commission Chairperson, fortheir insightful briefings.
Since my last statement at thedebate on “Pandemics and the Challenges of Sustaining Peace” just one and ahalf month ago, COVID-19 has infected more than 10 million andclaimed the lives of over two hundred thousand peopleglobally. Yet, that is just the tip of the iceberg. Many more, particularlythose in vulnerable conflict and post-conflict situations, have been and willbe severely affected due to the lingering impacts of this unprecedented crisis.
The pandemic has laid bare the fragilityof our world and “risks ignored for decades: inadequate health systems; gaps insocial protection; structural inequalities; environmental degradation; theclimate crisis”, as assessed in the latest Report of the Secretary-General onthe work of the Organization. Equally serious, faltering multilateralcooperation, excessive nationalism, political tensions, or even the use of thepandemic to trigger discrimination and hatred, have hampered our commonresponse.
It is important that we standtogether against these obstacles and strengthen our commitments towardssustainable recovery from the pandemic and resilience in face of possiblefuture crises.
Mr. President,
Experience in many countries andregions, including Viet Nam and ASEAN, has demonstrated that good governance isthe lynchpin to cope with interconnected dimensions of COVID-19, particularlythrough a whole-of-government and people-centred approach, decisive and earlyresponse, social unity and cohesion, and innovative financing for development.
Viet Nam believes that goodglobal governance should aim to deliver for all rather than a few.International efforts should prioritize economic recovery with special focus onassistance for developing countries, addressing inequalities and root causes ofconflicts, protection and support for vulnerable groups such as women,children, refugees, and internally displaced persons. We call for moreintensified political and financial commitments, particularly from developedcountries, to assist the most vulnerable people and countries in need.
As no one wins until everyonewins, how the world emerges from the pandemic will depend on each and everynation’s ability to build trust, nurture commitments and work together tochampion multilateralism with the United Nations as the coordination centre andregional organizations playing a more active role. Multilateral institutions,on their part, should seize this critical moment to spearhead concrete reformmeasures to adapt their relevance and efficiency to the evolving internationalcontext.
The Security Council is noexception. To fulfill its primary responsibility in the maintenance ofinternational peace and security, the Council needs to show the highest levelof cooperation while improving its responsiveness, adaptability and efficiency.To timely respond to global security challenges and non-traditional securitychallenges that can aggravate vulnerable political and security situations, itis important that the Council make best use of available tools, particularlypreventive diplomacy, conflict prevention, peacemaking and peacekeepingmandates. Viet Nam supports the implementation of Security Council Resolution2532 and urges all warring parties to earnestly heed the Secretary-General’scall for an immediate global ceasefire.
Mr. President,
On 8 August 2020, ASEAN ForeignMinisters issued a joint statement reiterating commitments to maintainingSoutheast Asia as a region of peace, security, neutrality and stability, andstrengthening peace-oriented values in the region in line with internationallaw. Subsequently, at the 53rd ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meetingheld on 9 September 2020, ASEAN members have reaffirmed their resolve toexpeditiously develop a comprehensive recovery framework to move forwardASEAN’s COVID-19 recovery efforts and underscored the importance ofstrengthening cooperation with a view to mitigating the profound impacts of thepandemic. As ASEAN Chair 2020 and a member of the Council for the term2020-2021, Viet Nam is strongly committed to joining global efforts to fightour common challenges and preventing them from undermining regional andinternational peace and stability”./.
VNA
