Vietnam: active and responsible member of United Nations   UN General Assembly's session (AFP) Nhan Dan - Shortly after Vietnam gained independence, President Ho Chi Minh drafted a letter to the United Nations General Assembly and representatives from the US, Soviet Union, China, the UK and others to ask them to acknowledge the country's sovereignty and admit Vietnam to the United Nations. Since that time, Vietnam has overcome many tough challenges in its quest to achieve both the national and UN goals of peace, self-reliance and equality for all nations. On September 20, 1977, Vietnam was officially recognized and admitted as a Member of the UN. Looking back through the past years, it can be seen that Vietnam's contributions to the UN result from the consistent implementation of a foreign policy founded on the principles of independence, self-reliance, peace, co-operation and development. As a result of Vietnam’s positive contributions to the UN over the past 36 years, friends from around the world have come to the realisation that Vietnam is not only a dedicated friend but a most reliable and responsible partner. Vietnam's enhancement of multilateralism and diversification of relations and active integration into the world in numerous areas contributes to strengthening the role and position of Vietnam as a positive, proactive and responsible UN member. Vietnam is participating in the UN's policy-making mechanisms on a wider and more effective manner. The country has been elected to many important UN positions such as being appointed a member of the Economic and Social Council (1998-2000), Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (1991-1993, 1997-1999 and 2003-2005), Executive Board of the United Nations Development Programme and Population Fund (2000-2002), United Nations Commission on Human Rights (2001-2003), Administration Council of the Universal Postal Union (1999-2004), International Telecommunication Union (2003-2007). Particularly, Vietnam was elected as the non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council for the 2008-2009 tenure with high number of votes and it successfully accomplished the position of great responsibility. While holding these positions, Vietnam together with other UN members including world powerful countries addressed many global important issues related to peace, security, development and human rights. Vietnam’s role and contributions to the UN Security Council, particularly the initiatives on the UN Resolution on the role of women, peace and security in 2009 and the innovation of working methods of the UN Security Council, were highly appreciated by both UN member and non-member countries. Such contributions are confirmation of the sound foreign policy of the Party and State. To promote such achievements, Vietnam continues to stand as a candidate for other important agencies of the UN. Vietnam is an active participant and has made substantive contributions to three issues of common concern including peace-security, development and human rights protection. On peace and security, like the majority of the Non-Aligned Movement and developing countries, Vietnam consistently endorses peaceful solutions to conflicts, respect independence, sovereignty, non-intervention in the internal affairs of other countries, disarmament and stands in opposition to the arms race. Vietnam is a signatory to most of international agreements on disarmament such as the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), Biological Weapons Convention (BWC), Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), Safeguards Agreements and Additional Protocols of the IAEA and Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material. Vietnam always fully observes the UN Security Council Resolution 1540 regarding non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and related resolutions. A new milestone of Vietnam’s international integration is its decision to take part in UN peace-keeping missions. With this decision, Vietnam is contributing to UN activity in terms of human resources, in addition to finance and expression of opinions. On development, from a poor country in isolation and under sanctions, Vietnam has emerged strongly to become a low-middle income country. Although Vietnam is still a developing country, it takes great pride in achieving many Millennium Development Goals ahead of schedule. Both the UN and international friends highly value Vietnam’s emphasis on both economic development and social security, noting that this is what very few developing countries can do. It is not accidental that the UN has selected Vietnam as one of the eight countries to pilot the One United Nations initiative. Over the past years, this initiative has achieved certain positive success in strengthening linkages and enhancing the efficiency of UN aid programmes in Vietnam. This is a substantive contribution of Vietnam to reforming the UN system and is a foundation for more effective co-operation between Vietnam and the UN in the future. Vietnam has also actively contributed to the formulation of important policies by participating in climate change talks and building the post-2015 development agenda. On human rights protection, Vietnam has been introducing a number of laws to better protect the rights of the people as evidenced by the current draft version of the Constitution which sets out more details on basic human and civil rights. The system of legal documents is increasingly being refined with many laws concretising basic rights enshrined in the Constitution. At international forums, Vietnam advocates dialogue and co-operation on the human rights issue. Vietnam is willing to talk, discuss and co-operate with other countries and the UN on the principle of equality and mutual respect. Vietnam is currently a party to five out nine key international conventions on human rights. As a member of the UN, Vietnam has seriously prepared and successfully defended its national report under the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of the Human Rights Council in 2009. Currently, Vietnam is undergoing its second UPR and scheduled to defend it in January, 2014. Co-operation between Vietnam and the UN human rights mechanisms has also proven effective in recent years. From mid-2010 to late 2011, Vietnam welcomed three UN Special Rapporteur on human rights. The visits helped strengthen dialogue and co-operation and mutual trust between Vietnam and the UN. According to the UN, Vietnam is one of the countries that have best performed on the improvement of human rights for ethnic minority people as well as having recorded significant achievement in poverty reduction and improving people’s living conditions. In addition, the implementation of the Party and State’s foreign policy has received the special attention and direct involvement of senior leaders. State and Government leaders regularly attended important UN conferences and summits. It can be said that through the UN forums, Vietnam has effectively introduced its foreign policy of peace, independence, self-control, diversification and multilateralisation of international relations; as well as its great achievements in the reform and open-door process. Besides, Vietnam has also accessed to the experience and valuable assistance of the UN and other countries around the world in order to serve the nation’s socio-economic development. Vietnam’s active and responsible contributions to the UN have been recognised and appreciated by the international community. Thanks to the Party and State’s sound foreign policy, experience and achievements in multilateral diplomatic activities, and especially the valuable support of international friends, it is believed that Vietnam will have more favourable conditions to fulfil its role at the UN, as well as speed up its industrialisation and modernisation process, socio-economic development, and national construction and defence, thereby actively contributing to the common struggle of the world people for peace, national independence, democracy and social progress.  By Ha Kim Ngoc, Deputy Foreign Minister