The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) had adopted the UNSC Chair’s Statement prepared by Vietnam in addition to introducing orientations for new actions related to healthcare, education, and technical assistance to address long-term consequences of armed conflicts to children and speed up the implementation of related legal documents, Deputy Prime Minister Pham Gia Khiem said.

Talking with the New York-based Vietnam News Agency correspondent following the UNSC’s open debate on “Children and armed conflicts” on July 17 where he worked as chairman, Deputy PM Khiem said child issues and armed conflicts were considered as significant by the UNSC because those matters caught the international community’s concern.

Around 2 million children were reportedly killed and 6 million others seriously injured or permanently disabled in armed conflicts besides falling victim of fighting, kidnappings, rapes, sexual slavery, and other cruel forms of tortures in the past decade alone, said the Vietnamese deputy PM.

“The UNSC’s effective operation will help prevent and put an end to armed conflicts and completely root out such situations,” Deputy PM Khiem said.

At the open debate held under the initiative of Vietnam, UN agencies, countries and non-governmental organisations re-evaluated the effectiveness and outcomes of deployed measures and discussed directions for their future co-operation in order to protect children more effectively in armed conflicts, he added.

Also at the debate, UN General Secretary Ban Ki-moon delivered a speech on the issue on behalf of 40 nations and leaders of many international organisations, Deputy PM Khiem said.

He affirmed that his Chair of the open debate reflected Vietnam ’s respect and sense of responsibility to the UNSC, the leading agency tasked to maintain global peace and security.

Deputy PM Khiem unveiled that he had separate meetings with the UN General Secretary, UN Special Envoy to Myanmar Ibrahim Gambari, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Swaziland Moses Mathendele Dlamini, and US Ambassador to UN Zalmey Khalizad on the sidelines of the debate.

He went on to note that the country’s initiative to highlight the theme “Children and armed conflicts” at the open debate and its joint preparations on contents and organisational work has been highly valued as active contributions to the UNSC’s operation by the UN General Secretary and other member countries.

The Deputy PM stressed that through those preparations and the Vietnamese representative’s speeches to the UNSC and contacts with the world media, Vietnam ’s peace-loving tradition and its policy of giving special care to and protection of children were indicated strongly.

This was of more significance when Vietnam is preparing to report to the Committee for the Convention on the Right of the Child on its implementation of the Convention in the country, Deputy PM Khiem added.

He talked about the UNSC’s operation in the second half of the year, mentioning debates on issues already mentioned in its agenda, i.e those related to peace and security in different regions and discussions on issues possibly arising in the world.

Deputy PM Khiem referred to the situation in the Middle East, Darfur, and Kosovo, nuke issues in Iran, the Democratic Republic of Korea, and developments in Myanmar as those of great concern, in addition to the situation in Zimbabwe and Georgia.

In the coming time, Vietnam will continue to partake in the UNSC’s activities in an active, initiative, constructive and responsible manner and work with other countries to seek practical solutions to issues arising in the UNSC’s operation on the basis of the UN Charter in respect of legitimate interests of all nations and for the sake of peace, co-operation and development, Deputy PM Khiem said. (VNA)