Vietnam destined to become centre for international dispute resolution
VOV.VN - Vietnam wishes to become a new location chosen by all parties to resolve international disputes which occur in the region and throughout the world.
Ambassador Dang Hoang Giang, permanent representative of Vietnam to the UN, made the statement at a roundtable discussion held on October 24 on reflections on the conciliation between Timor-Leste and Australia, five years after the first-ever UNCLOS (UN Convention on the Law of the Sea) Conciliation.
The event is part of the International Law Week which seeks to animate the underlying purposes detailed in the PCA Administrative Council Resolution dated 19 April and the UNGA Resolution 77/322 dated 3 August by reinforcing the shared mission between the UN and the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) towards the pacific settlement of disputes.
As part of his address, the Vietnamese diplomat affirmed that the success of the Conciliation Committee established for the first time under the provisions of UNCLOS in 1982 which has demonstrated the important role of the convention in peace and international security, providing reliable means to peacefully resolve disputes between countries, even complex issues related to maritime borders.
Furthermore, the country recognises the PCA's significant contribution to the history of peaceful dispute resolution over the past 125 years and believes that the strong development of the PCA is also reflected through the opening of regional offices outside The Hague, including an office in Hanoi in November, 2022.
On this occasion, the nation affirmed that disputes must be resolved by peaceful means on the basis of international law, including through international legal mechanisms.
Discussion took place within the framework of the UN’s annual International Law Week, receiving great attention from experts and legal advisors from 193 member countries and was broadcast live on the official website of the UN.
In 2018, based on the recommendations of the Compulsory Conciliation Commission established under the provisions of UNCLOS, Australia and Timor-Leste reached an agreement to end the long and complex process of resolving sea border disputes.
To mark this historic milestone and also to enhance understanding of the role of conciliation under UNCLOS, with the sponsorship of the UN Secretary General of the two Governments signed the Maritime Delimitation Agreement at the UN Headquarters in New York in the United States on March 6, 2018.
PCA is a long-standing international intergovernmental organisation founded in 1899 and currently has 122 member states. Vietnam has been a member of the PCA since 2011 and is one of the five countries with PCA representative offices in the world.
The core group on co-operation between the UN and PCA includes eight member countries, namely Australia, Egypt, Guatemala, Hungary, Thailand, Philippines, Singapore, and Vietnam.
