Vietnamese female peacekeepers. (Photo: VNA)  

The Vietnam Department of Peacekeeping Operations, the Defence Attaché Office and the Australian Embassy in Vietnam on November 8 jointly held an experience sharing session on the theme of women, peace and security in United Nations peacekeeping operations.

The event was co-chaired by Vice Director of the Vietnam Department of Peacekeeping Operations Colonel Nguyen Nhu Canh and Australian Defense Attaché to Vietnam Colonel Michael Jansen. Vietnamese female peacekeepers who are on duty at the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) and the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) also attended the hybrid event.

This is the 5th time Vietnam and Australia have exchanged experience on the topic "Women, peace and security". Previously, the two countries successfully coordinated to organise four experience sharing sessions on this topic in 2019, 2021, 2022 and 2023 with practical results, contributing to promoting the role and effective participation s of women in United Nations peacekeeping operations.

Speaking at the event, Canh said that in early August 2024, Vietnam issued its first national action plan on women, peace and security. This is an important policy orientation, affirming Vietnam's determination and commitment to ensuring and further promoting the role and voice of women, especially in the field of peace and security.

Meanwhile, Australia is one of the leading countries supporting and contributing greatly to the introduction of Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security - the first official and legal document of the United Nations Security Council. Over the years, Vietnam and Australia have regularly shared expertise and experience in this field and supported each other in promoting the women, peace and security agenda at multilateral forums.

Affirming that the exchange of experience on the topic of women, peace and security has become a useful forum for both sides to share experience and challenges encountered during their participation in UN peacekeeping missions, Jansen said that this activity also contributed to strengthening the cooperative relations between the two countries' UN peacekeeping forces.

It also helped enhance awareness of the benefits of women participating in common missions, thereby proposing and promoting recommendations to improve the effectiveness of UN peacekeeping operations, creating a more favourable working environment for female peacekeepers, he said./.