UNGA: Vietnam calls for unity in fight against Covid-19

Vietnam’s President Nguyen Xuan Phuc said recovery plans from Covid-19 in each country could be taken strongly and sustainably only with global cooperation and unity.

Vietnam’s President Nguyen Xuan Phuc delivers a speech at the 76th UNGA session. Photos: VNA

The countries’ efforts to conduct such plans would not be fulfilled without peace, security, and stability at home, in the region, and the whole world, Phuc said in a speech delivered at the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York on Sept 22 (local time).

On this issue, Phuc stressed the importance of turning challenges into opportunities with digital transformation, advanced technology, better manpower, competitiveness, and economic resilience.

Accordingly, the stakeholders are given opportunities to speed up green energy transition and sustainable development to accommodate more investment and smooth trade to secure the global supply chain.

The UN’s 2030 Agenda with Sustainable Development Goals would be a good framework for the countries to reinforce connectivity and cooperation.

Phuc emphasized the role of economic resilience in the face of prolonged health crisis globally, at the same time, highlighted the importance of joining hands in the common fight and recovery.

“We call on countries to fully fulfill their financial commitments to developing countries, providing more resources for the pandemic fight and recovery plans, and offer them debt relief,” Phuc said in a statement.

For all those reasons, he said bringing the pandemic under control becomes the first and foremost mission of the world. “No one is safe until everybody is safe,” he noted.

To stamp out the virus, cooperation and unity should be strengthened in the spirit of sharing. For that reason, it becomes more necessary to supply vaccines to countries of low inoculation rates and facilitate developing countries’ access to vaccine sources and tech transfer of vaccine production.

Regarding this drive, Phuc thanked and highly appreciated the UN and multilateral mechanisms, especially the COVAX Facility for promoting fair vaccine access and distribution of Covid drugs.

The Vietnamese president speaks at the session.

Vietnam’s commitments in global agendas

Phuc affirmed that Vietnam consistently pursues the independent foreign policy that advocates peace, friendship, and partnership vigorously to engage more in international integration and tackling common issues.

Vietnam supports the UN-centered multilateralism that is based on international law toward better and more effective cooperation.

In the region, Vietnam and ASEAN member states have been making efforts to advance the ASEAN Centrality in maintaining peace, security, and prosperity in Southeast Asia and the Asia-Pacific.

ASEAN nations are implementing the Five-point Consensus to assist dialogues, reconciliation, and humanitarian support to Myanmar.

Vietnam shared the same ASEAN and the world’s viewpoints on the importance of maintaining freedom of navigation in the South China Sea (called East Sea by Vietnam), calling on related parties’ restraint to avoid escalating tensions and to solve disputes based on international law and the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) 1982. Related parties need to implement articles stipulated in the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) and to soon complete negotiations on the Code of Conduct for the South China Sea (COC).

In the speech, Phuc addressed climate change-caused challenges facing the globe and called on the nations to cut carbon dioxide emissions and extend support to underdeveloped and developing countries in efforts to mitigate the impact of natural disasters and climate change.

Regarding humanitarian assistance, Phuc believed that peace and stability are prerequisites to post-pandemic development, therefore, Vietnam called on cease-fire around the globe to end violence, protect civilians, and facilitate charity work.

Taking Vietnam as an example of a decades-long war and the strength of resilience, Phuc said Vietnam strongly protests war, embargo, and violations of international law and the UN Charter. He emphasizes joint efforts in respecting sovereignty integrity and internal affairs.

On this occasion, Phuc affirms that Vietnam called for the end of the longstanding trade embargo on Cuba and hoped for stability in Afghanistan to help Afghan people settle down, especially women and children. Hanoi supported Palestinian legal resistance and the right of the Palestinian people to have their independent nation existing together with Israel.