Vietnam strives to have 20% of women participating in UN peacekeeping by 2025

That was the information given by Major General Pham Manh Thang - Director of the Department of Peacekeeping - at a working session with the Department of International Policy, Australian Ministry of Defense.

Vietnamese female soldiers depart to join UN peacekeeping - Photo: NAM TRAN

At the headquarters of the Australian Ministry of Defense , the delegation of the Vietnam Peacekeeping Department led by Major General Pham Manh Thang had a working session with Mr. Bernard Philip - Director of the Department of International Policy, Australian Ministry of Defense .

The two sides discussed the results of bilateral cooperation in the field of United Nations peacekeeping, future cooperation orientations, and signed a three-year plan (2025-2027) to implement the peacekeeping partnership agreement between the two governments.

Strive for 20% of women to participate in peacekeeping

Major General Pham Manh Thang emphasized Vietnam's policy of proactively and actively participating in multilateral mechanisms on defense and security, including United Nations peacekeeping.

Mr. Thang affirmed that Vietnam is a responsible member of the United Nations. This was demonstrated when in June 2025, the National Assembly passed the Peacekeeping Law, creating a complete legal corridor for this force.

Vietnam began sending individual officers to participate in UN peacekeeping operations in 2014, and then deployed units. To date, about 1,100 Vietnamese soldiers have participated in missions.

Notably, the rate of female soldiers participating in activities reached 16.6%, much higher than the average of other countries.

"Vietnam aims to achieve 18% female representation in units and 20% female representation in individuals by 2025," said Major General Pham Manh Thang.

Australia is the only country to sign a peacekeeping partnership agreement with Vietnam at the Government level.

International cooperation is one of the important pillars for Vietnam's participation in United Nations peacekeeping operations.

To date, Vietnam has signed memorandums of understanding (MoUs) on cooperation in the field of UN peacekeeping with 10 countries, including 4 member countries of the UN Security Council (except the UK).

Australia is the only country to sign a peacekeeping partnership agreement with Vietnam at the Government level, and is considered one of Vietnam's leading partners in the field of United Nations peacekeeping.

In the coming period, the two sides agreed to focus on implementing the signed 3-year plan (2025 - 2027), with specific activities such as: promoting experience exchange programs on mental health and force protection into annual activities, cooperation in the fields of logistics, search and rescue, and multilateral peacekeeping exercises.

Vietnam is currently seeking UN recognition for its UNSOC training course. Based on its experience, Vietnam has also asked Australia for support in this regard.

At the meeting, Mr. Bernard Philip highly appreciated Vietnam's increasingly active role in peacekeeping missions, and expressed his belief in the prospect of increasingly deep and practical cooperation between the two countries.

The two sides also agreed to promote more substantive activities within the framework of the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda and accelerate the recognition of peacekeeping training programs organized by Vietnam as meeting UN standards.

Tuoitre.vn

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/viet-nam-phan-dau-het-nam-2025-co-20-nu-tham-gia-gin-giu-hoa-binh-lien-hop-quoc-20250729153047511.htm