STATEMENT

 by Mr. Pham Vinh Quang, Deputy Permanent Representative

of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam to the United Nations

at the Fourth Committee of the UNGA 66^th Session

on Agenda Item 54:  Comprehensive Review of the Whole Question of Peacekeeping Operations in All Their Aspects

                                                New York October 25^th_,  2011

Madame Chairperson,

I would like to congratulate Mr. Hervé Ladsous for his recent appointment to the post of the UN Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations and thank him and Ms. Susana Malcorra, the Under-Secretary-General for Department of Field Support  for their detailed briefing.

My delegation wishes to align itself with the statement delivered by the distinguished representative of Morocco on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement and the statement to be delivered by the distinguished representative of Thailand on behalf of the Association of the Southeast Asian Nations.

Madame Chairperson,

We highly appreciate great contribution of UN peacekeeping – a core function of the United Nations to the maintenance of international peace and security over the past years. Recently, United Nations peacekeeping has entered a period of consolidation in terms of the size of deployments. With over 120,000 personnel deployed in 16 peacekeeping operations on four continents, the United Nations peacekeeping has taken on a wide range of complex mandates extending far beyond the traditional task and reflecting current complexity and risk. In this context, we take note the continued efforts by the Department of Peacekeeping and the Department of Field Support in reinvigorating the peacekeeping operations to meet demands in an effective and sustainable manner. We support the recommendations contained in the Report of the Special Committee of Peacekeeping Operations with the aim to preserving the unity of command in peacekeeping missions at all levels as well as the coherence in policy and strategy.

To further strengthen UN peacekeeping, my delegation would like to touch upon some critical points:

Firstly, Viet Nam is fully convinced that the exercise of mandates and the reform of UN peacekeeping should be carried out in accordance with the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and the universally recognized guidelines, namely the consent of the parties, the non-use of force except in self-defense, total impartiality, respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of States, and non-interference into their internal affairs.

Secondly, we underline the necessity for the Secretariat to provide the Security Council, troops and police-contributing countries (TCCs/PCCs) and other key stakeholders with an early assessment of capabilities, force generation and logistical resource requirements prior to the launching of a new operation. At the same time, TCCs/PCCs, most of whom are non-aligned and developing, should be involved early and fully in the preparation, planning, monitoring, conducting and evaluation of peacekeeping operations so that their operational experience and intellectual input can contribute to the appropriate, effective and timely decision-making and policy-formulating process at both Headquarters and in the field. At the same time, the triangular communication among TCCs/PCCs, the Security Council and the Secretariat should be further strengthened.

Thirdly, we believe that the cooperation between the United Nations and regional and sub regional organizations may bring added values if we are to fully comprehend the nature of the situation and if we are to enable the mission to achieve the intended objective.

Last but not least, we wish to reiterate our view that peacekeeping can neither be a panacea to the problems of international peace and security nor be a substitute for the local political process which should be strengthened by national efforts of reconciliation and full realization of people’s potential. In order to achieve a sustainable peace, conflicts must be resolved at its root causes by engaging all involved parties based on dialogue and peaceful settlement of disputes, by finding long-term solutions to the comprehensive political, security, economic and humanitarian dimensions of a given problem.

Madame Chairperson,

Viet Nam will continue an independent foreign policy for peace, cooperation and development. In the effort to be a responsible member of the international community, working for the prosperity of every nation, we shall deepen and proactively participate in international integration. In this connection, Viet Nam is finalizing its preparations for effectively participating in UN PKO, in conformity with its capability and conditions.

To conclude, I wish to reaffirm that Viet Nam fully supports all efforts and initiatives by the UN with the aim to enhancing the Organization’s ability to manage peacekeeping operations effectively and efficiently, with a view to achieving further improvements in the deployment of missions, safety and security of personnel, accountability and effective management of resources, qualified peacekeeping capacity as well as proper conduct and discipline.

I thank you for your kind attention.