Vietnam, 1999

On behalf of the delegation of the Socialist

Republic of Viet Nam and on my own behalf, I should

like to warmly congratulate you, Sir, on your election to

the presidency of the General Assembly at its fifty-fourth

session. I am convinced that, thanks to your experience

and wisdom, this session will have a successful outcome.

I should like also to express my thanks and great

appreciation to your predecessor, Mr. Didier Opertti, for

his important contribution and the effectiveness of his

presidency during the fifty-third session.

I should also like to congratulate and warmly

welcome the three new States Members of the

Organization: the Republic of Kiribati, the Republic of

Nauru and the Kingdom of Tonga. The Government and

the people of Viet Nam are pleased to greet those three

Pacific countries and to assure them of our willingness to

establish and develop fruitful and close cooperation.

The current session of the General Assembly is of

special significance. As a bridge between the twentieth

and twenty-first centuries, it will prepare us for entering

a new century and a new millennium. This is therefore an

important moment, as it affords us the opportunity to take

stock of the advent and evolution and the highs and lows

of this greatest international Organization over more than

half a century. Such an assessment will help us draw

lessons and provide us with the necessary valuable

experience from which we can identify what needs to be

done so as to allow the United Nations to continue to

play its role and exercise its influence in the world today

and in the future.

The twentieth century, which is drawing to a close,

has been marked by great achievements for humankind at

every level of its development, but it also requires us to

reflect deeply about problems unforeseen in previous

centuries. Two world wars and hundreds of protracted

conflicts, civil wars and situations of local tension in

various regions of the world have claimed the lives of

more than 150 million people and left permanent scars,

both spiritual and physical, on hundreds of millions of

others. They have destroyed the creative achievements of

many generations, some of which was irreplaceable. That

has given human beings a deeper, more burning desire to

live in peace, security, freedom and happiness, and to

achieve stable and sustainable development for the benefit

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of humankind and our beautiful planet. The creation of the

United Nations more than 50 years ago, with its clearly

defined statutes and objectives, contributed to the

realization of those aspirations. Indeed, during the twenty-

first century humankind has witnessed extraordinary

progress in the decolonization process, the collapse of the

colonial system and the successful promotion of the sacred

right of peoples to national self-determination, resulting in

the birth of many independent States and, therefore, in

fundamental changes in international relations. The

achievements of the United Nations over the past 54 years

are due in large part to the contribution of those young,

independent countries.

In spite of the important progress made towards the

development of nation States during the twentieth century,

we must acknowledge that humanity is confronted with

many unresolved problems. Over the past few decades of

this century, the explosion in science and technology,

especially in the field of information technology, has

changed the structure of many economies and profoundly

affected the cultural and social life of every State. Our

world has become a global village, geographic distance is

less of a factor than it used to be, and interdependence,

interaction and cooperation among States, regions and

continents have continued to increase. It is unfortunate,

however, that many of these achievements have not been

used purely for the benefit humankind, but have been

misused or even used abusively against humankind. The

arms race, especially the development of nuclear weapons

and other new weapons that are more and more

sophisticated, dangerous and deadly weapons, is not only

draining significant resources but also threatening to destroy

people's lives and the environment.

In the past year, the situation in certain regions has

faced the international community with the challenge of the

politics of diktat practised by a group of countries and

regional organizations. The unilateral military attacks

against the territorial integrity of sovereign States in the

Balkans and the Gulf have set a dangerous precedent in

international relations, running counter to the purposes and

principles of the United Nations and in violation of the

fundamental principles of international law, especially those

of respect for the independence, sovereignty and territorial

integrity of Member States. This presented a serious

challenge to the role and effectiveness of the United

Nations, as well as to its legal foundations.

The first lesson to be learned from those events is that

it is not possible for the United Nations to build or

guarantee peace and security in the world at large or at the

regional level unless international law and the United

Nations Charter are fully respected and strictly

implemented. Secondly, the United Nations can play the

role and exert the influence that is commensurate with its

magnitude only if, now as well as in the future, it

steadfastly upholds the purposes and principles defined at

San Francisco 54 years ago and carries out a thorough

and in-depth reform of its organizational structure and

operation, in order to imbue our Organization with inner

strength.

By so doing, the United Nations will be able to

prevent any country or regional organization from using

a pretext, or a cause such as human rights, for example,

to trample on the independence, sovereignty or territorial

integrity of another country or to interfere in its internal

affairs. By so doing, the United Nations will be able to

preserve its important role and to meet the expectations of

Member States with respect to preventing policies of

diktat and the use or threat of use of force in international

relations. And by so doing, the United Nations will be

able to help create and foster the climate of lasting peace

and security that is needed for the solid, sustainable

development that all Member countries need today and

will need in the coming century.

Today, peace and security have a dialectical and

consistent link with development. Development has

become an important element in the broadly accepted

concept of security. This has made every country more

globally relevant while making all States less isolated. It

should be no surprise that socio-economic development

has become the main focus of the policy of the majority

of States and an area in which the United Nations will

continue to have an important role to play.

It is undeniable that over the past decade the process

of regionalization and globalization has transformed the

world and benefitted many countries. But the side-effects

and adverse consequences of this trend have also been

increasingly evident. Obvious examples have indicated

over the past two years that those consequences could

destroy the achievements of long years of development

and could lead to instability, locally and on a broader

scale. The first victims are none other than the least

developed countries: those that face the greatest

difficulties in their process of socio-economic

development and that should have enjoyed greater

attention and more favourable conditions in the process of

regional and global integration. Those countries can and

should count on United Nation support as they engage in

this process.

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The role of the United Nations is to promote

interaction among peace, security and development in order

to ensure that globalization and regionalization will not

evolve in a way that is incompatible with the needs, levels

of development and specific conditions of each State and

each region. Only then will nations be able to contribute to

that process and enjoy the legitimate and rightful benefits

derived from it. Only then can equality be secured and the

painful side-effect of this process, namely the widening gap

between the rich and the poor, be addressed.

Despite the striking progress we have made on the

long road of civilization, the end of the twentieth century

is still marked by poverty and hunger, which are among the

gravest tragedies and the greatest challenges facing

mankind. Poverty and hunger not only lower living

standards in certain countries; they have become a global

problem, a factor for socio-political instability in many

regions, and a problem that at present many countries

cannot resolve by themselves. This problem will grow more

serious if early efforts are not made to adequately address

the adverse consequences of globalization and

regionalization. Over the past half century, the United

Nations and its specialized agencies have made an active

and effective contribution to the fight against hunger and

poverty; they have gained a great deal of valuable

experience, of which the Organization should now make

greater use. The eradication of hunger and the alleviation of

poverty have become a primary, pressing task for the

United Nations. They also form part of the Organization's

responsibility towards Member countries that are now

suffering under these twin scourges.

The United Nations has set as a target the halving

world hunger and poverty by 2015. To this end, it is crucial

that every country's internal resources be mobilized, but

external cooperation to create an enabling environment for

development is equally important; it is, indeed,

indispensable. We are convinced that the United Nations

could play an important role in promoting North-South

cooperation by encouraging developed countries to expand

direct investment, provide and secure long-term financing,

open their own markets and grant preferential terms of

trade to developing and least developed countries, fulfil

their commitment of allocating 0.7 per cent of gross

national product for official development assistance,

promote technology transfer, support human-resource

development, vocational education and training and join

other countries in implementing the 20/20 initiative on

social development, especially the commitments embodied

in the October 1998 Hanoi declaration on the 20/20

initiative. Such support by the United Nations will facilitate

every nation's efforts and will gradually and effectively

tackle the issue of poverty and hunger.

The problems facing the United Nations at the turn

of the century are large, complex and difficult. But, with

the benefit of the experience of 54 years, the support of

Member countries and the opportunities that mankind has

generated, the Organization will be able to tackle them if

United Nations reform is accelerated and implemented at

an early date. In this regard, we welcome the efforts of

the Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan, to make the

administrative structure more effective and to cut

unnecessary spending.

We consider that United Nations reform involves

enhancement of the role of the General Assembly, the

principal organ in which the vast majority of members of

the international community are represented, to reflect

fully the principles of democracy and equality among

Member States. Reform of the Security Council is the

most important part of the process. Viet Nam's consistent

view is that the Security Council needs to be made more

representative by increasing the number of both

permanent and non-permanent members and by bringing

about greater democratization, transparency and

accountability. Viet Nam is of the view that an

indispensable element of reform is that a representative of

the developing countries must be a permanent member of

the Security Council.

With regard to the expansion of the Security

Council, we support those candidates, such as India,

Japan and Germany, that have the capacity to make a

major contribution to the work of that important organ. At

the same time, it should be stressed that the veto power

should be used only in accordance with the letter and the

spirit of Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter.

Viet Nam welcomes the encouraging prospects of a

peaceful settlement of conflicts and tensions in certain

regions of the world, such as the Great Lakes region of

Africa, and the resumption of the peace and reconciliation

process in the Middle East. We follow with interest the

developments in East Timor and hope that there will be

no further complications, so that the situation there can be

stabilized soon, thus contributing to peace and stability in

the region. Viet Nam calls for an early and complete end

to the policy of embargo and blockade against Cuba and

other countries. Such policies are not only outdated, but

run counter to current trends towards democratization and

equality in international relations, causing damage and

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suffering to the populations of the countries concerned,

especially women, the elderly and children.

In South-East Asia and the Asia-Pacific region the

economic recovery in many countries over the past year has

restored confidence in the future. The countries of the

region have learned lessons, found effective solutions and

taken full advantage of assistance from the international

community. As a result, the growth rate has gradually

recovered; exports, cooperation and investment have step by

step been revitalized. However, full economic recovery and

overcoming the adverse impact of the crisis to ensure

sustainable development is a continuing, long-term process,

a challenge that the countries of the region must take up.

The Association of South-East Asian Nations

(ASEAN) has taken new steps forward. The success of its

sixth summit, held in Hanoi in December 1998, and the

admission of Cambodia, which means that all 10 countries

of the region are now members, have demonstrated a high

level of unanimity and the determination and capacity of

the ASEAN countries to promote solidarity, expand

cooperation and overcome difficulties to give the group its

appropriate role, status and strength. ASEAN with 10

members is now better placed to make its voice heard in

international and regional forums, such as the ASEAN

Regional Forum (ARF), the Asia-Pacific Economic

Cooperation (APEC) and the Non-Aligned Movement, on

regional and global problems pertaining to peace, security,

development and the survival of humankind.

Maintaining peace and security in Asia in general, and

in South-East Asia in particular, remains a shared concern

of all member States. We hope that countries outside the

region, especially the nuclear-weapon States, will cooperate

with the South-East Asian countries for the implementation

of the South-East Asia Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone

(SEANWFZ) Treaty. This Treaty, which came into effect

in 1997, reflects the keen desire of the South-East Asian

countries for peace and security in the region, and their

serious commitment to the disarmament goal of a nuclear-

weapon-free world. We are pleased to note, and greatly

appreciate, the support for the Treaty expressed by China

and Russia.

When referring to the situation in the region, one

cannot fail to mention the situation in the Eastern Sea —

the South China Sea — where there are still incidents that

cause concern to the countries of the region. Viet Nam

believes that disputes in that sea should be settled by

peaceful means, through bilateral and multilateral

negotiations between the parties directly concerned, with

respect for international law, especially the 1982 United

Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the 1992

Declaration of ASEAN Foreign Ministers on the South

China Sea. While seeking a lasting solution, all the parties

concerned should exercise self-restraint, refrain from any

act that may further complicate the situation and take

confidence-building measures to ensure regional peace

and stability, thus facilitating the search for fundamental,

permanent solutions. In this regard, ASEAN's current

efforts to draw up a code of conduct in the South China

Sea, in accordance with the spirit of the sixth ASEAN

summit, held in Hanoi, are a step in the right direction

and a constructive measure, contributing to confidence-

building and the peaceful settlement of disagreements in

the region.

As a Member of the United Nations and the

international community, Viet Nam has done its utmost,

and will continue to do so, to contribute to the common

work of humankind. Viet Nam's consistent position is to

pursue an independent, sovereign foreign policy, seeking

the multilateralization and diversification of external

relations, with regional and global integration. It wishes

to be the friend of all the members of the international

community struggling for peace, independence and

development. Viet Nam is an active member of ASEAN

and APEC and is preparing to join the World Trade

Organization (WTO) as soon as possible.

Viet Nam's diplomatic activities have been founded

on the achievements recorded over the past 12 years in

our work of national reconstruction, the industrialization

and modernization of the country to achieve our goal of

a wealthy people, a strong State and a just and advanced

society. We have maintained a high rate of economic

growth, reduced the poverty rate from 30 per cent in 1992

to 15.7 per cent at the end of 1998, and created more than

a million jobs each year. These are tangible proofs of our

economic and social development. The United Nations

and its specialized agencies have greatly contributed to

this achievement, as was acknowledged at the conference

to review cooperation between Viet Nam and the United

Nations development bodies, held in Hanoi two years ago.

Furthermore, Viet Nam has, as a member of the

Economic and Social Council and of the United Nations

Development Programme/United Nations Population Fund

Executive Board, played an active part in the joint

undertakings of the international community.

Viet Nam highly appreciates the role played by the

United Nations in international life, both today and for

tomorrow. It will make its contribution to the

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Organization's activities and will join other Members in

rebuilding and renewing the United Nations so that it can

live up to the expectations of Member States and their

peoples, and meet the demands of our time.

During its more than five decades of existence as the

world's largest international body the United Nations has

made fundamental contributions to humankind's

development in all areas and has created a legal framework

for international relations. What the United Nations has

achieved to date will come with us into the new century,

along with the conviction that it will contribute to new

achievements, to further progress and the resolution of

outstanding differences between nations. While placing a

great deal of hope in the United Nations, the Member

States also understand that its effectiveness depends on the

active participation of all of them.

Looking back over the path we have travelled, we now

appreciate more than ever the role of the United Nations

and its capability, as well as the complexity and tenacity of

the problems before it. We can reaffirm that the United

Nations — when it has been reformed on both the

organizational and institutional levels and its objectives

have been adjusted — will remain an irreplaceable

organization. The fifty-fourth session of the General

Assembly is entrusted with a great mandate: to complete

the necessary preparations so that the United Nations can

enter a new stage in its development.

Allow me to express from this rostrum our great

confidence in the capability and crucial role of the United

Nations to promote peace, security, cooperation and

development for a better future for mankind. In this regard,

Viet Nam pledges to work closely with other Member

States to contribute actively to this noble cause, the United

Nations.