Ambassador Dang Hoang Giang argued that the responsibility of promoting the rule of law at all levels must be shared by all UN member states, and that this is key to strengthening multilateralism.
Over the past few days, the Committee on International Legal Affairs (Committee 6) of the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly held a plenary discussion on the topic of promoting the rule of law at national and international levels, with the participation of numerous representatives from UN member states and observers.
Speaking at the session, the President of the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, Philemon Yang, the Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, Amina J. Mohammed, and representatives from many countries emphasized the close link between strengthening the rule of law and stability and development. They affirmed that building a fair, transparent, and inclusive legal system, as well as the effective functioning of judicial bodies, plays a vital role in ensuring human rights, including access to justice, maintaining international peace and security, preventing conflicts, and peacefully resolving disputes on the basis of the fundamental principles of international law and the UN Charter. This creates the foundation for promoting the full implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals as envisioned in the Future Summit Document adopted by high-level leaders of countries last September.
Alongside the achievements in developing international law and strengthening the rule of law at both national and international levels, many countries have expressed deep concern about the escalation of conflicts and hotspots around the world , posing numerous challenges that the international community needs to continue to address.
Participating in the discussion at the session, Ambassador Dang Hoang Giang - Head of the Permanent Mission of Vietnam to the United Nations - stated that the responsibility to promote and maintain the rule of law at all levels must be shared by all UN member states; this is key to building trust, strengthening commitment, and consolidating multilateralism.
As a nation that always upholds international law and the United Nations Charter, Vietnam highly appreciates the recent efforts of the international community in promoting the rule of law to address emerging global challenges, including the development of new international conventions on cybercrime, international tax cooperation, and many other important issues for international life; affirming that Vietnam has actively participated in these processes and achieved many results in improving its domestic laws and judicial system.
As a co-founder of the Friends of UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea of 1982), Ambassador Dang Hoang Giang stated that Vietnam is actively celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Convention's entry into force, emphasizing the importance of protecting the universality, unity, and integrity of UNCLOS in global maritime and ocean governance.
Ambassador Dang Hoang Giang stated that Vietnam is determined to maintain its principled stance that all disputes must be resolved through peaceful means, in accordance with international law.
Based on the above position, Vietnam expresses concern over recent developments in the East Sea, calling on all relevant parties to fully fulfill their obligations under UNCLOS, respect the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), exercise restraint, peacefully resolve disputes, and respect diplomatic and legal processes. Vietnam is committed to fully implementing the DOC and will continue to actively discuss with other countries to soon finalize a substantive, effective, and internationally compliant Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC), including UNCLOS.
The Head of the Permanent Mission of Vietnam affirmed that, continuing its active participation in international legal forums in recent years, Vietnam has for the first time nominated Dr. Nguyen Lan Anh, Director of the East Sea Institute, to run for the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) for the 2026-2035 term, with the desire to continue contributing even more to efforts to strengthen the rule of law globally.
In the spirit of valuing equal geographical representation and inclusive, gender-equal participation in multilateral mechanisms and international legal bodies, Vietnam calls on member states and agencies of the United Nations to continue implementing capacity-building programs to empower women from all regions, especially women from developing countries, creating opportunities for them to make even more significant contributions to the field of international law.
The Committee on International Legal Affairs (Committee 6) is one of the six principal committees of the United Nations General Assembly, comprising representatives from all 193 UN member states, and is responsible for reviewing, discussing, and contributing to the advancement of international law.
Committee 6 is expected to discuss nearly 30 topics, including notable subjects such as the work of the International Law Commission, measures to eliminate international terrorism, and the prevention of crimes against humanity…
Promoting the rule of law at national and international levels is one of the top priorities at the annual Sixth Committee meeting (this year with nearly 100 speeches), serving as a forum for UN member states to raise a wide range of highly topical international legal issues.
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