Global press impressed by Vietnam’s high votes at UNSC

This is the second time Vietnam has won the election, helping the country promote its success in the previous 2008-2009 tenure and make more active contributions to the UN and the UNSC in particular.

With the title “Vietnam elected as new U.N. Security Council member”, Japanese Mainichi newspaper said in the lead-up to the elections, Vietnam campaigned on key issues such as promoting preventive diplomacy, which put the Southeast Asian nation on the map when it hosted the second summit between DPRK leader Kim Kong-un and US President Donald Trump.

Vietnam also stressed the importance of multilateralism, promoting sustainable development, tackling climate change and promoting human rights, among other issues, the newspaper said.

Mainichi reviewed the history when Vietnam became a member of the UN in 1977 and took the role of a non-permanent member of the UNSC for 2008-2009.

It stated that Vietnam contributed 73 personnel to two UN peacekeeping missions, with most being stationed in South Sudan.

China Daily and AFP reported that the UN General Assembly on June 7 elected Estonia, Niger, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Tunisia and Vietnam as non-permanent members of UN Security Council for 2020-2021.

Vietnam was the only representative of the Asian-Pacific region to run for the post, receiving the highest votes in favour. Nigeria and Tunisia both received 191 votes, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 185, and Estonia 132.

According to Washington Times, Vietnam’s importance in international security has risen sharply since the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit was held in the central coastal city of Da Nang in 2017.

The second summit between the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the United States of America (USA) in February 2019 also successfully placed host country Vietnam in the peacemaker role spotlight, it said.

According to AP, countries often plan for years to campaign for a spot at the UN Security Council, which can raise a nation’s profile in international affairs and afford it a strong voice on the world’s most pressing peace and security issues.