The event was attended by Deputy Chief of the General Staff Lieutenant General Phung Si Tan, VDPKO Director Major General Hoang Kim Phung, among others.
Participants to the event also include representatives of functional agencies of the U.N. and the AAPTC Secretariat, AAPTC’s members and observers and delegates from relevant international organizations.
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Lieutenant General Phung Si Tan speaks at the event. |
Addressing the meeting, Lieutenant General Phung Si Tan stressed this is the first time Vietnam has assumed the role of AAPTC Chair and the host of AAPTC’s Annual General Meeting and Workshop since its official joining the association 7 years ago and the U.N. peacekeeping operations 8 years ago.
He affirmed that the Vietnamese ministry appreciates the importance and significance of the meeting and workshop, as they offer a valuable opportunity for Vietnam and other member countries to share experience, initiatives and measures to overcome difficulties, especially challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic; strengthen cooperation to improve the quality of training and personnel preparations for joining the U.N. peacekeeping operations.
The Vietnamese senior officer believed that the event will help promote connection and collaboration in training activities among AAPTC members and partners in order to improve capabilities of forces participating in the U.N. peacekeeping operations.
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Delegates in a joint photo |
On behalf of the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defense, Lieutenant General Phung Si Tan thanked AAPTC partners and international organizations for their support over the past time and reaffirmed that Vietnam hopes to accelerate cooperation and receive valuable assistance from them to contribute more to the U.N. peacekeeping operations.
In his speech, Major General Hoang Kim Phung, VDPKO Director and AAPTC Chairperson, noted that the Vietnamese peacekeeping forces have shown their high readiness and good performance when undertaking U.N. peacekeeping duties. Up to now, the country has sent 512 servicemen to three U.N. missions and the U.N. headquarters, including one Level-two Field Hospital (L2FH), one Engineering Company, and 76 individual officers.
In terms of international cooperation, Vietnam has access to common resources of the U.N., partners and international organizations in training and capacity building, including foreign language and professional training courses at home and abroad, exchange of experts, and support for facilities and equipment.
In an online speech from the U.N. headquarters in New York (the U.S.A.), General Birame Diop, military adviser to the U.N. Peace Operations Department, said that U.N. peacekeeping activities always pose challenges to the participating forces because of the highest requirements of qualifications and ethical qualities in the performance of their duties. He highly appreciated the peacekeeping forces of AAPTC member countries for their tireless efforts and fearlessness of danger to maintain peacekeeping missions in order to protect the most vulnerable people. Also, General Birame Diop expressed his recognition of Vietnam’s contribution and thanks for its commitments to U.N. peacekeeping activities.
Themed “Indo-Pacific Actions Supporting United Nations Action-for-Peace Initiative (A4P) Improving Performance in Peace Operations,” the event aims at creating a forum connecting the member countries, helping them consolidate resources to back the A4P and the A4P+.
In the three-day agenda, delegates will conduct plenary sessions, general and group discussions with main topics such as a central speech of the VDPKO on Vietnam’s participation in U.N. peacekeeping operations; new developments of the International Association of Peacekeeping Training Centers (IAPTC); requirements and challenges for improving the effectiveness of U.N. peacekeeping training and activities under the U.N. A4P; updated report of each peacekeeping center in the Asia-Pacific region; the increase in the rate of women participating in U.N. peacekeeping operations; and so on.
Vietnam’s hosting of the AAPTC’s Annual General Meeting and Workshop in 2022 has affirmed the role and responsibilities of the current AAPTC Chair, contributing to enhancing Vietnam’s international position in U.N. peacekeeping cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region and making practical contribution to improving the effectiveness of member countries’ participation in U.N. peacekeeping operations, highlighting Vietnam’s success in COVID-19 prevention and control, and popularizing the country’s achievements and contribution to U.N. peacekeeping operations.
Translated by Trung Thanh