UN Deputy Secretary-General hails Vietnam's peacekeeping contributions
VOV.VN - The 80th anniversary of the Vietnam People’s Army (VPA) (1944 - 2024) and the 35th anniversary of the All People’s Defence Festival (December 22, 1989 - 2024) were celebrated by the Permanent Mission of Vietnam to the United Nations (UN) and the Vietnamese Military Attaché Office at the UN in New York on December 9 under the chair of Ambassador Dang Hoang Giang, head of Vietnam's Permanent Mission to the UN.
Those in attendance at the event include Atul Khare, deputy secretary-general of the UN; Martha Pobee, assistant secretary-general of the UN; and nearly 200 guests, including ambassadors, mission heads, and military advisors from UN member states.
In his speech, Ambassador Giang highlighted that over the past eight decades, under the leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam and with the support of the Vietnamese people as well as the assistance of international friends, the VPA has grown significantly.
It has achieved remarkable landmarks, including the 1954 Dien Bien Phu victory and the 1975 Ho Chi Minh Campaign, both of which significantly contributed to securing national independence and unity. The VPA has also made practical contributions to regional peace, stability, and humanitarian efforts.
The Ambassador reaffirmed the nation’s “four no’s” defence policy, along with a foreign policy of independence and active international integration. The country has engaged in numerous bilateral and multilateral defence co-operation mechanisms, reinforcing strategic trust and contributing to global peace, security, and development. Over the past decade, the country has deployed more than 800 personnel, including a high percentage of women, to UN peacekeeping missions, leaving a positive impression on the international community and earning high regard from both the UN and global partners.
Khare used the occasion to praise the VPA for its historic achievements and its vital role in Vietnamese development.
He underscored the importance of peacekeeping as a pillar in the Vietnam-UN partnership and praised the nation’s outstanding contributions, particularly through its Level-2 Field Hospitals and engineering team missions taking place in Africa.
On this occasion, he expressed gratitude to Vietnamese soldiers who sacrificed their lives for the cause of national liberation, as well as international peace and security, including Lieutenant Colonel Do Anh, who fell in the line of duty while serving in the Central African Republic peacekeeping mission.
