Members of the level-2 field hospital No 3 in a training session (Photo: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) – The peacekeeping force of Vietnam
has made considerable contributions over the past years, which have won
the recognition and high evaluation from the United Nations and international
friends, thereby helping to promote the country’s stature and prestige in the
region and the world.
Lieutenant Colonel Stéphane Pierrat, an European Union
expert for peacekeeping sent to the Vietnam Department of Peacekeeping Operations,
told the Vietnam News Agency that the Vietnamese peacekeepers are “fully
capable to join all the standards from United Nations”, and that they are proving
their experience on the ground in South Sudan.
The force has assisted not only the troops but also the
population in South Sudan, and been “very welcomed”, he said, adding that the
UN has highly valued Vietnam’s contributions.
Lieutenant Colonel Stéphane Pierrat, an European Union expert for peacekeeping at the Vietnam Department of Peacekeeping Operations (Photo: VNA)
Pierrat said that he has seen people coming back with a very
great smile and also people going to South Sudan with a great smile, and that
they must be very happy and proud to be in this mission.
Since June 2014, Vietnam has deployed three level-2 field
hospitals to South Sudan. The first two fulfilled their tasks and already
returned home while the third departed for the African country on March 23.
Talking about Vietnam’s dedication
to UN peacekeeping operations, Major Colonel Adam R. Lulay, Bilateral Affairs
Officer from the US Office of Defence Cooperation, said: “The experiences that
Vietnam is seeing and getting well over in South Sudan, they can bring a lot of
those lessons learned back here and incorporated into Vietnam, but also spread
it to their peers and the future missions.”
The Vietnamese force’s performance
in South Sudan is an exemplar of medical assistance, especially amid the
current challenges of COVID-19, according to the officer.
Major Colonel Adam R. Lulay, Bilateral Affairs Officer from the US Office of Defence Cooperation (Photo: VNA)
Lulay said the peacekeepers from
Vietnam have “done an incredible job leading the way in many ways”, especially
the percentage of women higher than the level recommended by the UN.
Over the last six years, Vietnam
has included 20 servicewomen in its level-2 field hospital staff, accounting for
nearly 16 percent, and four others individually deployed to UN peacekeeping
operations, higher than the recommended 15 percent.
Major General Hoang Kim Phung,
Director of the Vietnam Department of Peacekeeping Operations, noted though the
country has just taken part in UN peacekeeping operations, it has made a great
impression on international friends, particularly the UN and the missions in
South Sudan and the Central African Republic.
The performance by both the first
and second level-2 field hospitals has been highly valued by the mission leaders
and the UN. The UN Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre
Lacroix also sent a thank-you letter to the Vietnamese Government for the
medical contribution./.
VNA