Head of the Vietnam Department of Peacekeeping Operations, Maj. Gen. Hoang Kim Phung at the event (Photo: VNA)

It is the first time Vietnam has undertaken the role since joining the UN peacekeeping activities in 2014 and being an APPTC member. The Vietnamese delegation to the event was led by the head of the Vietnam Department of Peacekeeping Operations, Maj. Gen. Hoang Kim Phung. The April 23-26 event aimed to strengthen ties among Asia-Pacific peacekeeping centres with discussions on improving operation capacity, peace and security, and citizen protection, thus suggesting common plans to deal with new challenges. Speaking at the event, Phung affirmed that Vietnam always supports the UN’s criteria for improving women’s role in peacekeeping activities, evidenced by its sending of the first female officer to the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).