ADDRESS BY H.E. PHAM GIA KHIEM

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER, MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF THE SOCIALIST REPUBLIC OF VIET NAM AT THE OPEN DEBATE OF THE UN SECURITY COUNCIL ON WOMEN AND PEACE AND SECURITY

(New York, 5  October 2009)

Madam Deputy Secretary-General,

Ladies and gentlemen,

This debate is of great significance in preparing for the review of 10-year implementation of Resolution 1325 on women and peace and security adopted by the UN Security Council in 2000. The Resolution has the profoundly humane and lofty objectives of protecting women, children and girls, who are the most vulnerable, and most heavily affected in conflicts and wars. It is also aimed to promote more effective implementation of the Council’s primary responsibility of maintaining international peace and security.

Viet Nam values the UNSC members’ support for Viet Nam’s proposal to convene this debate on the need of protecting the rights of women and girls and promoting women’s role in the post-conflict situation. With this debate, UN members, international organizations and other stake-holders will jointly take stock of and set out measures to enhance the implementation of Resolution 1325. In preparing for this undertaking, Viet Nam and Switzerland jointly organized the Seminar on “Women, Peace, Security and Development” in Ha Noi on the 8^th of July 2009 with the participation of UN representatives and Vietnamese and international NGOs.

The international enormous efforts, including those of the UN, in promoting the implementation of Resolutions 1325 and 1820 and of the presidential statements of the UN Security Council have produced positive results. Of primary significance is the greater recognition that the maintenance of peace and security requires measures to meet the needs of women. It is also necessary to ensure their full and equal participation in the process of reconciliation, negotiation, all stages of peacekeeping, management of humanitarian aid and post-conflict peacebuilding. Activities conducted by the UN and many countries have brought about noticeable changes in a number of specific areas. However, there are problems and challenges, especially in the post-conflict period. This includes women’s limited contribution to peacebuilding, due to the lack of opportunity for their participation in policy-making, and the shortage of financial resources for an effective response to their pressing needs.

To achieve tangible results, Resolutions 1325 in 2000, 1820 in 2008 and Resolution 1888 just adopted on the 30^th of September 2009 should be implemented in a coherent and comprehensive manner. Viet Nam supports the Secretary –General’s recommendations included in the Report of the 16^th of September 2009 to the Council, and shares many of the views expressed during this debate. From our own experience in dealing with the multi-sided war consequences and promoting national development as well as the rights of women and children, Viet Nam underlines the followings:

Firstly, we need to fully recognize the primacy of removing the causes of conflicts, their prevention and peacefully resolving international disputes. Measures to protect the rights of women and girls must be combined with the promotion of their role in ending conflicts and in post-conflict reconstruction. The early integration of their priorities into the reconstruction efforts will create favourable preconditions for the coherent and long-term implementation of necessary measures.

Secondly, the reconstruction process requires comprehensive efforts to meet people’s basic needs in food, housing, health-care, education, dealing with psychological shocks, restoration of infrastructure and consolidation of social institutions, including the important role of the family. The State and society need to pay full attention to both civilian women and those having served in armed forces or been involved in military activities.

Thirdly, the UN system has a special role to play in conflict solution and post-conflict peacebuilding as mandated by the member countries. It has gained experience and knowledge in various fields.  To promote local governments and people’s ownership is essential. Assistance may take different forms depending on the specific conditions of each country. It is necessary to have close coordination among the UN bodies and between the UN and other partners.

Shortly after the war was ended in our country and our nation become united, the UN General Assembly adopted Resolution 32/2 in 1977 to call on countries and international organizations to help Viet Nam in its reconstruction efforts. In the past 30 years, the UN and other international organizations and countries have effectively carried out many development projects to assist Viet Nam, including those aimed to meet the basic needs and ensure women’s equal participation in all aspects of socio-political life in Viet Nam. On behalf of the Government and people of Viet Nam, I take this opportunity to express our deep gratitude to the UN and countries and development partners for their valuable support in the process of healing the war wounds and of reform and development.

As a nation having experienced untold losses caused by the wars, Viet Nam always supports the common efforts of the international community in preventing wars and protecting peace. This is also the consistent guiding principle of Viet Nam in its participation in the work of the UN Security Council. With that spirit, we are ready to share experience and play an active role in the undertaking that we discuss today.