Ambassador Pham Hai Anh, Chargé d’Affaires a.i. of Vietnam to the United Nations, underlined that despite difficulties from COVID-19, Vietnam has exerted efforts to implement activities of the committee and complete its tasks in a transparent, subjective and responsible manner. The country organised 11 online meetings, sent 85 letters and adopted 10 exemption requests and two press statements.
Vietnam was the first country to hasten efforts to make Committee 2206 the first UNSC agency to resume in-person meetings in June 2021, he noted.
Particularly, Vietnam worked to organise the first field trip by the Chair and members of Committee 2206 to South Sudan in November this year. This was the first visit that the committee had paid to South Sudan after two years and the first since the transitional Government was formed in 2020, he said.
The visit helped members of the committee understand the real situation in South Sudan as well as progresses in the implementation of the Peace Agreement 2018 as well as review criteria under Resolution 2577 (2021), which would create the basis for the UNSC to review and consider adjusting or lifting the arms embargo in 2022.
Ambassador Anh said that priorities in the office tenure of Vietnam is to promote cooperation between the committee, the UN Panel of Experts on South Sudan, and South Sudan.
The Vietnamese representative expressed hope that in the time to come, the committee will continue to maintain and promote dialogue and partnership with South Sudan and regional countries to implement relevant resolutions and support South Sudan. He said he hopes the next field trip will be made not only to South Sudan but other countries in the region, so that the UNSC will have a closer insight into the reality.
The same day, speaking after an UNSC discussion on a draft resolution submitted by Ireland and Nigeria on climate security, which was not adopted due to a vote against by a non-permanent member, Ambassador Anh said that Vietnam supports an overall approach to climate change response as well as the important role of the UNSC in the common efforts of the international community as well as the whole UN system.
Vietnam calls on all UNSC members to continue consulting and cooperating in a spirit of consensus and solidarity for common interest, aiming to strengthen actions by the UNSC and the UN regarding an issue of leading concern of the mankind, he stated.
As one of the countries hardest hit by climate change, Vietnam gives top priority to this issue, and pledges to continue to actively, proactively and constructively engage in the efforts at UN agencies as well as other multilateral forums, stated the ambassador.
