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At the videoconference (Photo: VNA)

New York (VNA) – Ambassador Dang Dinh Quy , Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the UN, on February 24 underscored the importance of international assistance in the conflict-affected Central African Republic at an UN Security Council (UNSC) videoconference, which discussed ongoing violence in the country.

Jean-Pierre Lacroix , UN Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, told the conference that the Central African Republic has continued to suffer from violence despite the announcement of the official result of the presidential election in December 2020.

Citing important progress in recent weeks in combating the armed coalition group known as Coalition des Patriotes pour le Changement, he said the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) is providing security to thousands of internally displaced persons, while also supporting efforts to safeguard the democratic order.

The Central African Republic has now become the most dangerous place for humanitarian work, with over 46 percent of worldwide incidents registered by international non-governmental organisations reported in the country.

In his speech, Quy said Vietnam backs the recent efforts of the UN as well as of regional and subregional organisations, including the African Union, the Economic Community of Central African States, and the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region, to support the Central African Republic.

He took the occasion to urge all concerned parties to resolve differences in a peaceful manner. This effort towards political stability and reconciliation must go hand in hand with the promotion of trust and confidence, he noted.

Calling for the sides involved to respect the election results and handle differences through dialogues, representatives from other UNSC members stressed the importance of implementing the 2019 peace agreement between the local government and armed groups to facilitate long-term political measures.

They supported the efforts made by the African Union and the MINUSCA in the matter./.

Ambassador Dang Dinh Quy , Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the UN (Photo: VNA)

New York (VNA) – Vietnam is concerned about cases of using or threatening to use force in international relations, which go against the UN Charter and harm international peace and security, Ambassador Dang Dinh Quy, Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the UN, has said.

Quy was addressing an UN Security Council (UNSC)’s videoconference Arria-formula meeting on February 24 themed “Upholding the collective security system of the UN Charter: the use of force in international law, non-state actors and legitimate self-defense” with the participants of nearly 30 member countries of the UN Security Council and the UN.

He stressed that all countries are obliged to build friendship relations and form a culture of upholding the UN Charter and international law as well as abiding by principles in sovereignty and territorial integrity, not interfering into internal affairs of other states, not using or threatening to use force, and dealing with disputes peacefully.

The diplomat said that the UNSC should work to enhance the observance of international law and promote the role of international law and UN Charter as a vital tool in maintaining international peace and security, while increasing its coordination with regional organisations and international legal agencies in coping with disputes, maintaining peace and preventing conflicts.

He underlined the need to avoid the abuse and re-explanation of the UN Charter, suggesting the UNSC continue to creating favourable conditions for countries to get access to affairs and documents of the council to promote open and transparent discussions in the field.

Noting that this topic has been mostly discussed among scholars, Naz Modirzadeh, Director of the Harvard Law School Programme on International Law and Armed Conflict, said that all countries are authorised and responsible in building international law, including the responsibility in protecting the principle of not using force.

She proposed that all countries should actively engage in open discussions on the theory of the rights to self-defence and improve the capacity to get access to announcements and discussions at the UNSC in the field.

Participants at the event underlined the principle of not using or threatening to use force, which is a foundation for the collective security system in line with the UN Charter and the UNSC’s function in maintaining international peace and security.

They affirmed that the only exception is the case that is allowed by the UNSC or to implement the right to self-defence. They called for the upholding of the UN Charter in maintaining international peace and stability, while exchanging ideas on the explanation and application of Article 51 of the UN Charter on the legal basis for the use of force as a means of self-defence, as well as on the situation in specific countries and regions./.

The Hanoitimes – Vietnam’s economy is certain to slow down in the first quarter, but the impact could linger to the second quarter.

With the complicated and dangerous nature of the new coronavirus (nCoV) outbreak, the negative impact of the virus on Vietnam’s economy will likely persist until the end of the second quarter this year, according to Bao Viet Securities Company (BVSC).

Similar to China, Vietnam’s service sector is also expected to be the hardest hit, especially transportation, accommodation, tourism, retail sales, catering, and entertainment, said BVSC in its latest report.

Chinese tourists accounted for 32% of total number of foreign visitors to Vietnam in 2019, therefore, suspending visa issuance for Chinese tourists will certainly harm the tourism industry. Besides, it is now the peak season of domestic spring tourism activities and festivals, which will be significantly weakened by the epidemic.

“Notably, these activities are seasonal, therefore, the decline could hardly be compensated in the upcoming months, even when the epidemic is over,” stated the report.

In 2019, the service sector accounts for 41.6% of Vietnam’s GDP. Even though this proportion is not as high as in China, the service sector accounts for 45% of Vietnam’s GDP growth. Industries with significantly higher growth rate include wholesale and retail sales (up 8.82%); transportation and warehousing (up 9.12%), among others, all of which will fall under the influence of the epidemic.

These sectors, including wholesale and retail sales, auto mechanics, transportation, warehousing, accommodation and catering, and arts and entertainment, currently account for 17.3% in total of Vietnam’s GDP in 2019.

Apart from the service sector, the agriculture, forestry, and fishery will be negatively affected by the epidemic with the plunge in exports of these products to the Chinese market. China is a major market for Vietnam’s farm produce, spending US$5.92 billion on buying Vietnamese goods, accounting for 35% of the total. Therefore, if trade with China is affected by the virus outbreak, the growth of agro-forestry-fishery sector, which is already low, will face the risk of further decline, thus lowering the demand for labor in this sector.

For the industry-construction sector, disruptions in global supply chain resulting from the nCoV outbreak will possibly affect the import of commodities used as input materials for production in Vietnam. According to the General Department of Vietnam Customs, Vietnam’s total import-export value with China accounted for about 30% of Vietnam’s total export in 2019, of which exports to China accounted for 24% while imports from China made up 38.7%.

On that basis, Chinese disease outbreak could affect productions of Vietnam’s key export products that heavily depend on imported materials, such as cell phones & electronic components, computers, electronic products, textile, and footwear, among others.

In a positive scenario, BVSC forecasts that Vietnam’s GDP will grow by about 6.5% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2020, 0.2-0.4 percentage points lower than the same period in 2019.

Meanwhile, Viet Dragon Securities Company (VDSC) offered a less optimistic view with GDP growth projected to slow to 6 – 6.3% year-on-year in the period.