Excellencies,

Distinguished participants,

Let me start by once again welcoming you all to the Third Dialogue of current and incoming elected members of the UN Security Council.

I thank Norway and South Africa for co-hosting this important Dialogue with Viet Nam.

As with previous meetings in Pretoria and Brussels, I expect this to be another occasion for elected members to review a year of work in the Council, to share experiences and identify areas and opportunities for collaboration amongst ourselves.

2020 has been a difficult year. We are faced with multiple crises.

The corona virus has created a health crisis, and a social and economic crisis, with serious implications on international peace and security.

At the same time, we are challenged by rising geopolitical tensions among major powers, the outbreak of new conflicts and complex developments of ongoing and dormant crises across regions.

We are faced with serious non-traditional security threats, from climate change and environmental degradation to terrorism and transnational organized crimes.

Meanwhile, commitment to multilateral institutions is faltering, and manifestations of excessive nationalism are increasingly visible.

These have put serious strains on the work of the United Nations and the Council in particular.

Against that backdrop, it is important to appreciate many joint efforts by the international community to sustain peace, promote cooperation and development, and to affirm Member States’ belief that multilateralism and the coordinating role of the United Nations are crucial in addressing global challenges.

In fact, over the past year, the Security Council has continued to fulfill its role as the body bearing the primary responsibility in the maintenance of international peace and security.

It was quick to adapt to the new realities created by the COVID-19 pandemic and adjusted its working method to allow its essential work to move forward.

As for the E10, we have managed to play a more important and proactive role in the Council, both individually and collectively.

Our creativity, determination and devotion have been evidenced in a large number of proposals, initiatives and outcome documents.

We have been able to maintain coordination, exchange of information, experiences and views among ourselves.

On its part, Viet Nam has been working closely with Council members to promote dialogue, aiming for the de-escalation of tension and confrontation, and finding fair and reasonable solutions to conflicts and disputes.

We have worked during and beyond our first Presidency to strengthen global commitment and adherence to the UN Charter and international law.

We have joined efforts to promote multilateralism and multilateral solutions to conflicts, with the United Nations as the coordinating center for these joint efforts and regional organizations playing a more active role.

Moving forward, Viet Nam will work to secure more Council’s attention to and action on (i) conflict prevention, (ii) protection of civilians, including particularly vulnerable groups and critical civilian infrastructure, and (iii) post-conflict recovery and reconstruction, especially mine action.

Excellencies,

As elected members, the E10 have the special legitimacy and authority bestowed on us by the entire UN membership.

That entails the responsibility to contribute to the work of the Council, improve its effectiveness, efficiency and its transparency in the best interest of the wider UN membership.

Viet Nam values closer E10 cooperation in the Council to better fulfill this task.

Here it must be emphasized that cooperation does not mean we must always have the same agenda, share the same views or act the same way.

As a group of countries from diverse backgrounds, with varying interests and priorities, cooperation among E10 members is, more importantly, about having the readiness to work together to achieve the best available solution even in issues where we differ.

Through coordinated efforts, we can help nurture and promote cooperation in the Council, thus substantively contributing to the resolution of complex global peace and security challenges, and strengthening the Council’s credibility.

This has never been an easy task and much remains to be done. But it is clear that our efforts are being rewarded.

Looking back on our own experience 10 years ago, we now find ourselves in a Council where E10 members cooperate better, have more substantive roles to play, and show more determination in advocating for more equal distribution of work with the permanent members.

I strongly believe that as India, Ireland, Kenya, Mexico and Norway join the Council in 2021, the E10 will continue to build on this momentum.

Though an elected member’s tenure is fixed to a short two-year-period, by working together, E10 members can assist each other to not only making best use of it but also enhancing the continuity of the efforts spent, and the legacy of our work can transcend far beyond this limit.

With that, I wish you all fruitful discussions, in the hope that this meeting will continue to bring us, elected members, closer in our joint efforts to make the Council more effective in addressing ever greater challenges to international peace and security.

Thank you.