Ambassador Dang Dinh Quy, head of the Vietnamese mission to the United Nations (Source: VNA)Hanoi (VNA) – Protecting civilians in armed conflicts is the toppriority of Vietnam at the United Nations and its Security Council, AmbassadorDang Dinh Quy, head of the Vietnamese mission to the United Nations, hasaffirmed.
Addressing thecouncil’s open debate on the Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict on May27, Quy said that the most effective and long-term solution is to prevent andend conflicts and maintain sustainable peace.
When a conflicthappens, the top responsibility of each nation is protecting its civilians, heemphasised, adding that international organisations and UN peacekeeping forcescan support conflict-hit nations, but they need be supplied with sufficientresources.
The diplomatstrongly condemned attacks targeting civilians and civil facilities, especiallyschools, hospitals and water and food production systems.
He alsostressed Vietnam’s backing for UN Secretary-General António Guterres' appealfor a global ceasefire amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The UNSecretary-General said that more than 20,000 civilians were killed or injuredin just ten conflicts in Afghanistan, Central African Republic, Iraq, Libya,Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, Syria, Ukraine and Yemen in 2019, and 90 percentof people killed by explosive weapons in populated areas were civilians.
Last year, tensof thousands of children were forced to take part in hostilities, and millionsof people were displaced as a result of armed conflict, he added.
The COVID-19pandemic rages on, causing enormous human suffering and additional stress tohealth systems, economies and communities, said Guterres. Where armed conflictcontinues, COVID-19 makes the protection of civilians more challenging thanever.
He urged Statesto review and rethink their approach to urban warfare, committing to theprotection of civilians in their doctrine, strategy and tactics.
Ellen JohnsonSirleaf, former Liberian President, emphasised the need to exert efforts to putan end to conflicts. She called for regional and international solidarity tosupport underdeveloped countries, and intensify international cooperation andwomen empowerment./.
VNA
