Vietnam advocates security reform discussion at UN forums

13/05/2008 -- 12:14 PM

New York (VNA) – The Vietnamese representative to the UN Security Council, Ambassador Le Luong Minh, indicated support for further transparent and exhaustive discussions of security sector reform (SSR) at UN committees and forums. Minh presented the Vietnamese stance at a consultation session of the UN Security Council held in New York on May 12. He noted the Secretary General’s view on the role that the UN efforts to reform the security sector have played in restoring peace and promoting development in many African nations such as Sierra Leone, Liberia, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo. However, he noted the continuing challenges of security sector reform, particularly in establishing a common concept and scope of application. Minh shared the UN Secretary General’s views that there is no one-size-fits-all model of SSR and therefore its implementation depends on the basic needs of national political processes and dynamics. “Reaffirming the fundamental principles of respect for the independence, sovereignty and non-interference into internal affairs as enshrined in the Charter, we hold that while the UN and the international community should support and assist the promotion of SSR in Member States, they should do that solely on the basis of imperative activities such as the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration of former combatants,” he said. The Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations and the Peace-building Commission remain appropriate forums for discussing the mainstreaming of peacekeeping and peace-building operations and the inclusion of SSR in the mandates of such operations, said the Vietnamese UN Ambassador. Minh said as peace and security in a broader sense includes development which is associated with and depends on the solutions for social and economic problems such as hunger and poverty, diseases and inequitable distribution of social welfare, it is necessary to achieve a comprehensive approach and coordination of the wider membership of the UN in SSR. Therefore, “we support further discussions in the General Assembly, ECOSOC and UN development agencies, funds and programmes with a view to achieving such an approach and coordination,” said the ambassador. From the viewpoint, Minh stressed that any linkage between SSR and human rights and humanitarian criteria would be counter-productive and should be avoided.-Enditem
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