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Dr. Le Thi Tuyet Mai addressing the meeting |
The ceremony was part of the on-going activities to honor contributions of countries around the world to building rules to minimize sufferings of civilians during armed conflicts. This was the first time that the celebration has been held in Vietnam.
Addressing the event, Dr. Le Thi Tuyet Mai, Head of the Department of International Law and Treaties of the Foreign Ministry said that the 1949 Geneva Convention underlines the principles of respect for the right to live and the basic rights of each individual in conflict and has rules to protect civilians, wounded and sick servicemen, troubled sailors and prisoners of war.
Mai emphasized that as a civilized and peace-loving country, Vietnam has pursued a consistent policy of settling international disputes by peaceful means while actively cooperating with other countries to maintain sustainable peace in the region and the world and attaching much importance to perfecting humanitarian policies and ensuring the practice of human rights.
In wartime, as a member of the Geneva Convention 1949, Vietnam strictly exercised the convention, protected civilians and wounded and sick soldiers while humanly treating prisoners of war. Vietnam’s serious implementation of the convention helped the international community understand more about the country’s just struggle against foreign invaders, and inspire them to give huge support for the Vietnamese people’s resistance war for national independence. In peacetime, the country has conducted and obtained significance achievements in humanitarian activities, especially war aftermath relief, natural disaster mitigation and environmental protection.
Dr. Le Thi Tuyet Mai emphasized that the anniversary was a chance to look back the history of the International Humanitarian Law over the past 70 years, update developments in exercising the law as well as to review the international community’s efforts in promoting the law enforcement.
As a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council in the 2020-2021 period and its ASEAN chair in 2020, Vietnam will continue contributing to the international community’s efforts in promoting the effective implementation of the International Humanitarian Law. In the coming time, the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and National Defense will coordinate with the Central Committee of the Vietnam Red Cross Society and ICRC to boost dissemination of the law and conduct humanitarian activities, including war aftermath relief, natural disaster mitigation, response to climate change and environmental pollution and support to fishermen at sea, Mai said.
At the event, Swiss Ambassador to Vietnam Beatrice Maser called upon countries around the world to put more efforts to promote respect for the law and the Geneva conventions. She emphasized that the 70th celebration of the Geneva Convention was an opportunity for countries to seek measures to promote the implementation of the convention.
The four Geneva Conventions of 1949 are the first international treaty that Vietnam has participated in. These Conventions provide specific rules guiding the treatment of wounded, sick or shipwrecked combatants in conflict, prisoners of war, and civilians, as well as medical personnel, military chaplains and civilian support workers. A major part of the international humanitarian law is included in the four Geneva Conventions of 1949. The law also includes rules of kinds of weapons and the use of them in armed conflicts.
Translated by Tran Hoai