New York (VNA)♒ – UN peacekeeping operations play an important role in preserving international peace and security, helping create a peaceful and stable environment for development, affirmed the head of the Vietnam Mission to the United Nations.

At a debate on peacekeeping operations held on October 20-21 as part of the 71 st session of the UN Special Political and Decolonisation Committee, Ambassador Nguyen Phuong Nga stressed that amidst current complicated developments in the world, the UN should uphold basic principles including respecting independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity; not interfering into internal affairs of states; ensuring impartiality; and not using force except for the purpose of self-defence and safeguarding operation of the missions. The ambassador also highlighted the close links of peace maintenance and building, while praising the intermediary and conflict prevention role of the UN as well as cooperation between the UN and regional and sub-regional organisations for the mobilisation of necessary resources for peacekeeping work. At the same time, she called on the UN Security Council to strengthen coordination and consultations with the UN Secretariat and the Peacebuilding Commission as well as countries sending their military and police officials during the planning and decision-making process regarding peacekeeping missions. Ambassador Nga took the occasion to reiterate Vietnam ’s commitments to making active and responsible contribution to the maintenance of world peace and international security. She noted that Vietnam began to send its liaison officers to participate in UN peacekeeping operations in 2014 and is to dispatch more medical and sapper officers in the coming time. At the debate, Deputy UN Under-Secretary for Peacekeeping Operations Herve Ladsous noted that the UN is currently running 17 peacekeeping missions with 142,000 members from 123 countries. He underscored that in order to optimise the peacekeeping operations, member countries should enhance their commitments in making contributions to the force and improving the capacity, equipment and adaptation ability of the missions in different conditions and environment. Participants at the events also shared their viewpoints on the role and contributions of peacekeeping operations, while raising concern about challenges facing the activities. They held that it is necessary to increase the effectiveness of the operations through ensuring resources and building capacity for the missions, along with modernizing technology and equipment and designing long-term plans for peacekeeping and sustainable development.-VNA