Vietnam affirms ASEAN's commitment to promoting multilateralism

In his speech, Ambassador Dang Hoang Giang, Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the UN, highlighted ASEAN's priority and commitment to the respect and promotion of multilateralism for a more peaceful, prosperous, and fair world. The bloc recognises a need for reformed multilateralism in response to today's challenges, he added.

The diplomat emphasised the common view of ASEAN that reforming multilateralism must be accompanied by a commitment to pursue a multilateral approach, in accordance with international law and the UN Charter, to promote common interests, create a favourable environment for dialogue and cooperation, and avoid actions that intensify tension.

ASEAN supports reforming the Security Council, enhancing representation, democracy, transparency, effectiveness, and efficiency, Giang said.

He held that the voice of the developing countries and regional organisations, including ASEAN, need to be heard more in the global decision-making process.

The ambassador’s speech was also the first ASEAN joint one at the UNSC on this topic, made at the proposal by Vietnam.

Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General António Guterres told the function that strengthening multilateralism is his highest priority since the start of his term of office, and that his report Our Common Agenda and the process it initiated are aimed at reinvigorating multilateralism to deal with today’s interconnected threats.

Csaba Kőrösi (Hungary), President of the UN General Assembly, underscored a need for the international community to closely cooperate in finding a multilateral solution in accordance with the UN Charter and international law.

Participating UN member countries all expressed their support for multilateralism, in which the UN plays a central role. They also shared views on remaining challenges and limitations, and proposed measures to reforming multilateralism more effectively.