Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Binh Minh addresses the debate

The debate was under the chair of President of South Africa Cyril Ramaphosa.

In his remarks, Minh spoke highly of Africa’s efforts and the role of the AU and sub-regional organisations in promoting regional integration and socio-economic development over the recent past.

Meanwhile, challenges such as terrorism, transnational crime, climate change, food and water security, the COVID-19 pandemic and ebola, have dealt a heavy blow to peace and stability in many countries in the region, and even posed the risk of worsening current conflicts and instability, he added.

The Vietnamese official affirmed that the UN-AU cooperation serves as an important framework for the implementation of security and peace initiatives in the region, via the utilisation of international support and expertise, as well as the role of regional mechanisms like the AU, which help prevent and address conflicts in Africa.

On such basis, he put forth some suggestions to bolster the UN-AU cooperation, which are to enhance the coordinating role of the AU in handling regional conflicts and to elevate the AU-UN strategic partnership.

He also suggested the expansion of inter-regional cooperation, and underlined the sound traditional friendship between Vietnam and African nations.

The cooperation between the UN and regional organisations is always among Vietnam's top priorities during its current term as a non-permanent member of the UNSC, which was realised through an initiative to hold the first ever meeting on ASEAN-UN cooperation while Vietnam served as the President of the UNSC in January.

Vietnam always stands ready to actively contribute to the cooperation process in an endeavour to strengthen the ASEAN-AU partnership in the coming time, for the common benefits of Asia and Africa.

At the debate, delegates hailed the UN-AU strategic partnership and contributions by the AU to advocating peace, security and development in Africa. The UN and the AU need to further deepen cooperation in responding to global challenges, preventing and handling regional conflicts, they stressed.

They also affirmed that the cooperation framework between the UN and regional organisations must be maintained and consolidated in keeping with Chapter VIII of the UN Charter. 

They highly valued significant achievements gained through the UN-AU cooperation over the years, which contributed to the political-peace and socio-economic process in many nations like Central African Republic, South Sudan and Sudan.

Participants also expressed their concern at the complicated developments in other countries such as Libya, Yemen, Somalia, and the Sahel and Lake Chad region, voicing a hope that the AU and the UN will continue close cooperation to handle global challenges and address the root causes of the conflicts.

Launched in 2002, the AU is a continental body consisting of 55 member states that make up the countries of the African Continent, with a combined population of 1.3 billion and accounting for 3 percent of the global GDP.

The union acts as an observer at the UN General Assembly. In December 2018, the UNSC held the first debate on the UN-AU cooperation, with a focus on boosting finance for peacekeeping operations on the continent./.VNA