The event was co-chaired by Colonel Nguyen Nhu Canh, Deputy Director of the Vietnam Department of Peacekeeping Operations and Ramla Khalidi, UNDP Resident Representative in Vietnam.

The forum served as an opportunity to showcase the image of women, organize youth and women’s exchanges, inspire the younger generation, and recognize and honor the contributions of women in leadership roles, aiming to encourage young women to strive toward becoming future leaders of Vietnam and the international community, particularly female leaders within the United Nations peacekeeping forces.

The dialogue reaffirmed Vietnam’s and the region’s commitment to the Women, Peace, and Security agenda, while emphasizing women’s leadership in non-traditional fields, including peacekeeping, and encouraged close cooperation with the UN and international partners through expert participation.

In his address, Colonel Canh highlighted that since sending Vietnam’s first officers to UN peacekeeping missions in 2014, significant progress has been achieved. Female participation reached 14% through unit deployments and 17.6% through individual deployments. The Ministry of National Defence has sent four Vietnamese officers to UN Headquarters, while the Ministry of Public Security dispatched 22 officers individually, including eight women, to United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA), and United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) missions.

Vietnamese female peacekeepers consistently represent nearly 16% of Vietnam’s contingent, above the UN average, demonstrating Vietnam’s strong commitment to implementing UNSC Resolution 1325. Colonel Canh emphasized that Vietnamese women, in all roles, display responsibility, compassion, resilience, and courage. In UN peacekeeping missions, they serve not only as participants but also as community connectors and contributors to sustainable peacebuilding.

Canh expressed confidence that the ideas, initiatives, and recommendations presented at the forum will make a practical contribution to Vietnam’s advisory work, policy formulation, and on-the-ground implementation in this field.

Acknowledging the contributions and dedication to the country, as well as their role in peacebuilding and maintaining security both domestically and internationally, of Vietnamese women participating in United Nations peacekeeping operations, Ramla Khalidi expressed hope that the forum would serve as a bridge between generations, allowing the lessons, challenges, and achievements of earlier generations of women to inspire the next; and enabling young people in general to shift their perspectives, better understand, and support women in leadership roles as equal partners to men.

The forum highlighted exemplary women leaders in defence, security, and diplomacy, with a focus on UN peacekeeping. It provided an interactive platform for sharing experience and lessons from real-world missions, including UN peacekeeping operations and national events such as the 80th Anniversary of the August Revolution (August 19, 1945-August 19, 2025) and National Day (September 2, 1945-September 2, 2025).

Participants discussed the leadership role and engagement of women in security, defence, and humanitarian fields, sharing practical experience, key takeaways, and messages to inspire today’s youth.

The event built a shared understanding of female peacekeepers’ roles, identified challenges, and proposed solutions to strengthen their skills and capabilities, while inspiring youth engagement.

It further promoted youth participation in peacekeeping issues and underscored the Vietnam Peacekeeping Department’s central role in Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) initiatives and the National Action Plan (NAP). Following the success of the events to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the August Revolution (August 19) and the National Day (September 2, 1945 – 2025), the forum reinforced the image of Vietnam’s armed forces’ active involvement in international activities.

Vietnam takes stock with review of successful UN peacekeeping operations

The Ministry of National Defence held a conference in Hanoi on October 16 to review the missions of Engineering Unit Rotation 3 and Level-2 Field Hospital Rotation 6 after their successful completion of United Nations peacekeeping operations.

Engineering Unit Rotation 3 accomplishes task in UN peacekeeping mission in Abyei

VOV.VN - The Vietnam Peacekeeping Centre under the Ministry of National Defence held a welcome ceremony on September 29 at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi) for the personnel of Engineering Unit Rotation 3 returning from their mission with the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA).