Regarded as a vital mission of Vietnam and the Army, participating in the UN peacekeeping operations contributes to realising the Party’s foreign policies and international integration and enhancing the prestige and position of Vietnam in the international arena. Therefore, the Army must continue to synchronously and drastically implement measures to intensify the effectiveness of the operations and meet the task requirements in building and safeguarding the Fatherland.

Fully grasping and strictly implementing the Party's foreign policies and international integration, over the past years, the Army has advised and participated in multiple UN peacekeeping operations and achieved numerous encouraging outcomes. This contributes to enhancing Vietnam’s prestige and position in the international arena, creating a peaceful and stable environment to accomplish the cause of renovating the country. Vietnam claims to be a friend, a reliable partner, and a responsible member of the international community. In fact, Vietnam’s UN peacekeeping operations have left international friends with a strong impression of the images of the country and Vietnamese people as well as the noble quality of “Uncle Ho’s Soldiers”. These vital and significant operations have represented a peace-loving and humane country that willingly participates in tackling issues encountered by the international community to safeguard the Fatherland “early and from afar” through peaceful solutions.

Participating later than other nations and encountering a myriad of difficulties and challenges, with a strong political commitment and contribution to joint missions during operations, Vietnam’s Peacekeeping Force has always accomplished all assigned tasks and has been highly appreciated for their effectiveness, qualifications, and competencies. That crucial premise and driving force accelerate international integration, defence diplomacy, resource expansion, acquisition of advanced technology and technique, and sharing of partners’ experience in building and developing military forces to step up modernising the Army and Public Security and strengthening defence-security capability and power to safeguard the Fatherland.

President Nguyen Xuan Phuc and MoD leader bid farewell to the Engineering Unit Rotation 1 before their deployment to UN peacekeeping mission in Abyei

In the forthcoming time, the global and regional situation is likely to be complicated and unpredictable; major powers make amendments to their strategy and foreign policies while competing intensely. Sovereignty violations, territorial disputes, armed conflicts, local wars, intervention, overthrow, terrorism, separatism, natural disasters, diseases, etc. are on the rise in numerous regions, which has a tremendous impact on security, politics, and world peace and imposes additional requirements upon peacekeeping operations. All UN Peacekeeping Forces are required to thoroughly grasp the Party’s viewpoints and guidelines on international integration and defence diplomacy; therefore, the focus should be placed on studying, keeping track of the situation, accurately determining fields of participation, constantly boosting and enhancing peacekeeping operation through appropriate contents and solutions.

First and foremost, deeply grasping the Party’s resolutions and directives on foreign affairs and international integration in the UN peacekeeping operations. This vital solution ensures full compliance of the operations with the Party’s orientation, guidelines, and methods and achieves practical effectiveness. Thus, the UN peacekeeping forces should concentrate on thoroughly grasping and creatively, flexibly, and effectively applying  the resolutions, strategies, directives, and documents of the Party, the State, the Central Military Commission (the CMC), and the Ministry of National Defence (the MoD) on international integration, foreign affairs, defence diplomacy which are manifested in the Resolution of the 13^th National Party Congress, the Resolution of 11^th Military Party Congress, particularly Resolution No. 22-NQ/TW issued on April 10^th, 2013 by the Politburo on “International integration”, Resolution No. 806-NQ/QUTW issued on December 31^st, 2013 by the CMC on “International integration and defence diplomacy until 2020 and following years”, Overall Strategy on international integration until 2020 with a vision to 2030, Decree No. 22/2016/NĐ-CP issued on March 31^st, 2016 by the Government on “Regulations on defence diplomacy”, Resolution No. 130/2020/QH14 issued on November 13^th, 2020 by the National Assembly on “Participation in the UN Peacekeeping Forces”, etc. They then should be concretised in resolution, programmes, plans, projects with specific and appropriate goals, requirements, solutions, and steps so that they suit the national interests, the condition of the country, the Army, the Public Security, the requirements of the UN, the capability of the peacekeeping forces.

Secondly, concentrating on improving the qualifications and competencies of each force to actively participate in the UN peacekeeping operations. This is a breakthrough in performing international integration and defence diplomacy, especially in participating in peacekeeping operations in accordance with the spirit of Resolution No. 22-NQ/TW of the Politburo and Resolution No. 806-NQ/QUTW of the CMC. To achieve in-depth and practical effectiveness, the CMC and the Central Public Security Commission must build up sufficient, well-structured, high-qualified creative, and responsible human resources to participate in the UN peacekeeping forces and conduct international tasks. Importance should be attached to accelerating education and combining domestic education with oversea training; improving foreign language proficiency (English) in conjunction with local languages and enhancing knowledge of countries, people, and professional competence associated with the functions and tasks of each mission, particularly adaptability to complicated security and politico-military conditions. It is necessary to proactively advise the Party, the State, and the Government on force build-up and expansion of operational scope, areas, fields, and degree in accordance with the Project unified by the UN; increase the effectiveness of the field of participation and gradually expand forces such as independently operating individuals in missions, infantry, military police, public security, civilians, etc.

The immediate focus should be placed on preparatory work for taking exams to work in the standing agency of the UN (in New York). It is necessary to enhance advisory competence in operation and training, ensure logistics, design plans, deal with unexpected situations, summarise and report to the commanders of missions. In particular, importance should be attached to after-action review, theoretical development, and lesson drawn from experience, thereby imparting and proposing solutions to enhancing the effectiveness of the next working batches, tenures, and terms. Bilateral defence cooperation on peacekeeping with partners should be promoted, thereby accelerating the sponsorship and taking advantage of international friends to create a springboard for developing, expanding, and enhancing the effectiveness of Vietnam’s peacekeeping operations.

Thirdly, strengthening the coordination with Central agencies, ministries, and branches, especially Interdisciplinary Working Group and the Steering Board of the MoD in deploying the UN peacekeeping tasks. As the Standing Agency tasked with advising the Party, the State, the Government, the CMC, the MoD and directly coordinating and performing the UN peacekeeping tasks, Vietnam’s Department of Peacekeeping Operations (the VDPO) is required to renew and increase the effectiveness of relevant agencies in the country, international organisations, and partners. It is important to proactively coordinate with the Central Foreign Affairs Commission, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, National Assembly’s Foreign Affairs Committee, Ministry of Public Security, and other foreign partners to implement the agreements financing, paying, and reimbursing the UN for purchasing equipment; receive, manage, and use the fund in accordance with the State’s law and the MoD’s regulations. Besides, scientific research on the UN peacekeeping tasks should be strengthened by coordinating with relevant agencies to develop and expand the fields of participation. Remote coordination, command, and inspection of the force should be ensured. After-action review and proposal to commending and disciplining cadres, personnel, and soldiers of the Army and Public Security in the UN peacekeeping forces should be fully implemented. Importance should be put on the coordination with functional agencies of the UN and other experienced countries in this domain to train human resources and cooperate in effectively deploying forces to missions. The propagation of Vietnam’s viewpoints, political stance, and purposes of preserving world peace should be combined with universalising the country and the Vietnamese people as a UN responsible member in performing peacekeeping tasks to constantly raise the prestige and position of Vietnam in the international arena.

Fourthly, strengthening propagation and education to heighten the awareness and responsibility of the whole Party, people, and Army, especially the forces participating in UN peacekeeping operations in performing important tasks. UN peacekeeping operations are all-around and distinct tasks with multiple difficulties and risks; therefore, cadres and soldiers are required to have full awareness, scientific plans, cautious action, etc. to achieve great effectiveness. Thus, party committees and commands of agencies and units of peacekeeping forces should focus on educating and propagating to soldiers the purposes, significance, and importance of peacekeeping tasks so that they can formulate courage, knowledge, experience, necessary skills, and responsibility in performing tasks. The comprehensive contents of the education should concentrate on firmly grasping the operational principles and mechanisms of peacekeeping forces, the viewpoints, guidelines on international integration and defence diplomacy of the Party, the CMC, and the MoD.

Agencies and units, particularly the VDPO (both domestically and abroad) must flexibly apply educational methodologies, and closely combine centralised training with individual training and education by assigning tasks with self-studying and accumulating experience through peacekeeping operations in missions. It is important to resolutely fight against misleading and hostile viewpoints on taking advantage of peacekeeping operations to sabotage Vietnam’s revolution.

Fifthly, completing mechanisms and policies to create a favourable legal corridor for UN peacekeeping operations. Vietnam’s participation in the UN Peacekeeping force is an all-around task that not only concerns Vietnam’s policies and law but also abides by international law, the UN’s Charter, etc. Therefore, the VDPO is required to proactively coordinate with functional agencies to conduct research and propose to the CMC and the MoD to advise the Party and the State in promptly completing, adjust, and supplement mechanisms and policies to create a favourable legal corridor so that UN peacekeeping operations can achieve practical effectiveness. In processing of researching, advising, and proposing, the peacekeeping force must fully grasp the principle that peacekeeping operations must be “under the Party’s absolute and direct leadership, the National Defence and Security Council’s decision, the State President’s rule, and the Government’s management”. The system of legal documents namely the Constitutions, National Defence Law, decrees, directives, circulars, and instructions on the UN peacekeeping operations should be fully and synchronously supplemented and completed. Emphasis should be placed on researching, proposing, and advising the amendment to mechanisms and policies to increase the effectiveness of the State’s management toward the peacekeeping forces; decentralising and clearly defining the authority of the National Defence and Security Council , the MoD, and the Ministry of Public Security in building, replacing, withdrawing forces, expanding areas, fields of participation, and enhancing management and command in missions in accordance with the agreements between Vietnam and the UN. It is also necessary to perfect regulations and sanctions on inspecting and supervising the operations of the UN peacekeeping force, and the coordination between Vietnam's People Army and other countries’ armies participating in the UN peacekeeping operations to constantly enhance the quality and effectiveness of this task to victoriously accomplish the Party’s and the State’s guidelines on strengthening international integration and expanding foreign affairs.

Senior Lieutenant HOANG XUAN CHIEN, Member of the Central Party Committee, Member of the Central Military Committee, Deputy Minister of National Defence